Tags
British butterflies, British spiders, butterfly, Crab spider, Crab spider kills Orange-tip, Cuckoo flower, Orange-tip, Orange-tip male, Orange-tip on Cuckoo flower
Sometimes I can be a bit slow. During today’s walk, I was ambling along the edge of a meadow when I spotted a male Orange-tip butterfly flitting from one small patch of Cuckoo flower to the next. Then it stopped at one spot longer than usual so I walked quickly over to get some photos. I could see its tongue was out so knew it was feeding but, still, I was amazed at how long it was staying put on the one flower. And then I saw why …
The poor butterfly had been grabbed by a lurking, very well camouflaged Crab spider.
Wow, you were definitely in the right place at the right time. I’ve never seen anything like it.
Gruesome but fascinating!
That is an awesome observation. But what a bummer for the butterfly.
Sadly, yes.
Pressing the ‘like’ button seemed a little harsh given the circumstances, so I’ll just offer Media vita in morte sumus, and ponder the possibilities of an alternative ‘intrigued’ option.
Very appropriate words, thank you. 🙂