Such Treacherous Beauty
I warned you more creepy critters were coming. (Larger image)
This is a white crab spider on the flower of a Great Lobelia near Nameless Creek. His two pair of front legs are not poised to wish you a fond hello. No hug or elbow bump intended here. He's armed for dinner.
And the poisons in those powerful "fangs" must be fast acting and strong, because you often see these tiny spiders feasting off wasps or butterflies many times larger than they are. You never see wasps flying around with little crab spiders helplessly clinging to their abdomens.
Several days after this picture was taken, this same spider was on the same flower of the same plant. Business must have been good.Crab spiders don't build webs and don't waste a lot of energy moving around, relying instead on stealth and patience.
Comments
Fred, Your recent zoomed in views of "bug life" have been fascinating. It's nice to get close....but not too close!
Posted by: colleen | September 29, 2006 10:25 AM
These macros you've been posting recently are really quite beautiful. I don't care to come that close to a spider. Thanks!
Posted by: RD | September 29, 2006 1:57 PM
In life, I'd never get close enough to him to get a photo - even with a zoom. But I love it that you do!
Posted by: kenju | September 29, 2006 5:42 PM
Beautiful photograph. Ella's preschool class has been studying spiders for two weeks now. She's talking cephalothoraxes and pedipalps, quite unlike most four year olds we know. I'll have to show her this picture.
Posted by: sally | September 30, 2006 10:40 AM