Some sunflower seeds (from birdseed) sprouted this spring in the herb garden under my bird feeder, and I let them grow...
It has been so dry that our lawn hadn't grown or been cut in a couple of weeks, but after one hard rainfall the other day, things are greening up surprisingly fast. We got a bit more rain yesterday. We had crunchy brown lawn until just the other day. It sure recovers fast (although this photo doesn't show the worst-hit parts of the lawn.) Time for a mowing!
After a rainshower yesterday, I went out in the garden and found this beauty on a sunflower:
I think it's a crab spider but I don't know more than that! Time to study up on my spiders.
She's well-camouflaged against the petals. If she'd just back up a bit, you wouldn't even notice her.
And can you see the little creatures seeking shelter in the smaller sunflower?
These little gals got caught out in the rain. They aren't honeybees, although they look very similar to them (more squat), and have pollen baskets on their back legs just like my girls. I will have to look them up in one of my bug books, unless somebody out there can identify them for me.
Gordon just came in from putting the ducks and chickens to bed and told me a bat flew out of the eaves of the barn. It would be great to have some bats in there, since they are ignoring the bathouse on the back of the barn.
Happy weekend!
Looks like your right on this one
ReplyDeleteFRom Wikipedia
Misumena vatia - In North America, where it is the largest and best-known flower spider, it is called the goldenrod crab spider.
"These spiders may be yellow or white, depending on the flower in which they are hunting. Especially younger females, which may hunt on a variety of flowers such as daisies and sunflowers, may change color "at will".It is often very hard even for a searching human to recognize one of these spiders on a yellow flower."
You take the most gorgeous photos, Natalie. Beautiful
ReplyDelete(Left this on your wheat field post before you posted this one today and wasn't sure if you saw it.)
ReplyDeleteThis is off topic, but I wanted to say thank you for the wonderful rooster cards you sent me for my honorable mention win in the Hen Haiku contest! I love them!
Since turnabout is fair play (or something like that) I'm going to send you some flexible magnets I made from a few of my ATCs. Hope you like them. Thanks again for the great cards--and photos of "the boys!"
Beautiful...I'm speechless!
ReplyDeleteIt looks just the crab spiders we ge in out garden in suburban London. Excellent... I love my little crabbies!
ReplyDeletehttp://thepoormouth.blogspot.com/2011/06/off-into-err-sunset.html
ReplyDeleteHere's the last pic I took of one of our crab spiders as it makes off with a hoverfly
Whenever I see a spider I give thanks for Nature's sense of scale. Me against a spider the same size as me? Nightmares tonight! I'd go for the legs, I suppose, but there are so many of them, and I've got to chop most of them while getting spun in a silky prison..., and I don't have a knife... Sleep well.
ReplyDeleteanother spider
ReplyDeleteanother me ...I'm OFF
Wandering Cat, thanks for that info! I am going to look for more of these little masters of camouflage.
ReplyDeleteCogDis, thank you so much!
TTPT, I left you a comment on your comment, but in case you don't see that, THANK YOU! Can't wait for my magnets.
Claude, thank you!
jams, I loved your photo. What a huntress!
Hey Natalie, those Sunflowers look gorgeous growing around the base of your bird feeder.......... and the spider, very interesting, never seen one before, amazing colour.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great weekend,
Claire :}
Thanks Claire!
ReplyDelete