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Tag Archives: Crab spider

Death in the meadow

30 Saturday Apr 2022

Posted by sconzani in insects, wildflowers

≈ 6 Comments

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 …

220430 orange tip and spider (1)

The poor butterfly had been grabbed by a lurking, very well camouflaged Crab spider.

220430 orange tip and spider (2)

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The spider and the fly

14 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature, spiders

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

British spiders, camouflage to catch prey, Crab spider, fly caught by spider, spider camouflage

I was watching this well-camouflaged Crab spider (probably Misumena vatia) restraining its prey when a mother and young son came walking along the path towards me. I could see and hear that the woman was pointing out various flowers and insects to her son so, rather than immediately step out of their way, I asked the boy if he wanted to see something cool. I pointed to where he should look and moved away a little, still conscious of maintaining a Covid-safe distance.

210814 spider and fly (1)

He was spellbound as I explained that the spider had been sitting on a white flower so it could use its white colour to trap the fly. He thought the spider was ‘sneaky’, and I could hear him and his mother still talking about the spider and ‘amazing Nature’ as they walked on. Well done to his mum for encouraging the boy’s interest. I think it’s so important that young people are inspired to look closer at the amazing natural world that surrounds them.

210814 spider and fly (2)

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Random creatures of Barry

24 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Barry, Crab spider, Dock bug, Garden snails, Glamorgan Botany Group, Grene shieldbug, hoverflies, insects, ladybirds, Orange-tip butterfly, slow-worm

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I spent a wonderful day on Saturday exploring and examining some of the town of Barry’s wilder green spaces with members of the Glamorgan Botany Group. But, of course, you can’t spend a whole day looking at plants without also seeing an awful lot of the critters that live on those plants and I admit to being a trifle distracted at times … by a sunshine-yellow Crab spider, by fluttering butterflies and buzzing hoverflies, by plentiful dock and shield bugs, by the sad sight of a dead Slow-worm. Some of the lovely old stone houses and churches we passed were pretty cool too!

170424 1 Creatures of Barry
170424 2 Creatures of Barry
170424 3 Creatures of Barry
170424 4 Creatures of Barry
170424 5 Creatures of Barry
170424 6 Old buildings of Barry
170424 7 Creatures of Barry
170424 8 Creatures of Barry
170424 9 Creatures of Barry
170424 10 Old buildings of Barry
170424 11 Creatures of Barry
170424 12 Creatures of Barry

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Camouflage

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Tags

Bindweed flower, camouflage, Crab spider, Eupeodes corollae, hoverfly, insect camouflage, Misumena vatia, sawfly larve

On the positive side … this Sawfly larva has its colour co-ordination working very well, though maybe needs to work on its choreography.

160823 camouflage (2)

On the negative side … or positive side, depending on whether you’re identifying with the Crab spider (probably Misumena vatia) using the large white Bindweed flower as its lair, or the spider’s victim, a hoverfly (probably Eupeodes corollae).

160823 camouflage (1)

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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