The summer flowers are at their peak. On a warm sunny day there is much activity around the flowers. Bees, wasps, and flower flies buzz from flower to flower gathering pollen and sucking nectar. Danger lurks. Crab spiders wait to ambush any errant casual flower visitor, be it a tiny bee or something larger like a butterfly. With a body assuming the color of the flower, two front pair of strong legs, and powerful, fast-acting, paralyzing venom, crab spiders can quickly overwhelm even a bee or wasp; insects equipped with stingers. They even overwhelm other spider species. Crab spiders have small jaws (chelicerae), so they can’t mash their prey like some spiders, who literally vomit digestive juices on to their prey and begin chewing from there. Crab spiders, on the other hand, make small holes in their prey and vomit their digestive fluid into their prey's body. The end result is a hollow shell with some or most of the muscles and internal organs digested and sucked out.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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I’ve been fascinated by spiders since I can remember. Growing up in southern California, black widows were quite common. Every garage had black windows in the corners. I kept a few in mayonnaise jars, feeding them flies. Out in the fields and hills there were tarantulas. There were many fascinating things in those hills.
The photos are of a couple crab spiders I have observed over the last few weeks in our yard. The one on the white flower at the header was from about four weeks ago. The flower is a white foxglove (Digitalis). The two photos below were taken within the last week. The flower is a dark variety of black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia).
Have you observed crab spiders on your flowers? What spiders are lurking in your environment?
What’s up in nature in your area today?
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