Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: crab spider

(2 notes above) I was creeping around looking for interesting subjects when I noticed something very small that was flashing at me. Peeking closer, I saw an impossibly small spider waving back and forth in the breeze. I could barely get close enough to see what it was except that I recognized the posture which is undeniably "crab spider." When these spiders are in hunting mode, they always look like they are saying, "Yesterday I caught a bug THIS BIG!" LOLOL, oh how they make me giggle! I found a bunch of neat images today, but none of them could hold a candle to this picture which I took yesterday. And so, here is my cute little friend for all of you to coo at and love along with me! I know that everyone just LOVES spiders!!! :D

Once I got over my fear of spiders, I began to appreciate them and even to think they are adorable and totally cute. Finding this itty bitty baby crab spider trying to be invisible on a stem of dried grass brought out a chorus of coos from me. I was especially happy because the sun was at just the right angle to make its translucent body glow. Finally, I added a texture to the background to give it a bit more interest.

Some of the poppys I have are extremely small, growing only a few inches off the ground. This one's head is only about 1/3" in size, and when I took a really close look at it, I saw an itty bitty Swift Crab Spider sitting on it!! I took a handful of pictures, hoping that one of them would turn out well. SUCCESS!! :D (thank you for the ID Leapfrog Art ! :) My dear pod sister Mags pointed out that this poppy looks like it's leaning back in horror from the spider on its face and it's flailing its arms in fright! "GET IT OFF ME!!! EEEEEEEE!!!!!" ROFLMAO!!!

David was our hike organizer and pointed out this cutie pie on his arm so we could take pictures! :D This photo was taken on July 2, 2011, while on the MeetUp hike to Lost Falls, near Ashland, Oregon

Today I was looking at our lovely daffodils and discovered a tiny friend who seemed to be boasting about the size of the last insect he caught! I think he was exagerating just a bit, what do you think?! :D I was totally amazed that this single picture attempt had perfect focus on his face, as this flower was literally waving back and forth...I tried once and then gave up, figuring I'd never get a clear picture! WOO HOO for luck!!! :D By the way, this is a tiny crab spider which measures about 1/2" in diameter by his outstretched legs. These efficient hunters lurk on flowers and are often camouflaged as the same color as the flower! They wait in this position for unwary insects to fly in for food, where they then ambush them!

I was taking pictures of a Fiddleneck flower when I noticed this cool little crab spider on the stem. These spiders ambush their prey by waiting for insects to land on the plant, usually a flower, and then grabbing it before the insect can get away. These spiders are able to change color to blend in with the flower, and the reason this guy is so obvious is that a Fiddleneck flower is yellow-orange, and it was trying to hide from me on the stem! (They cannot change color instantly; it takes several days for this transformation.) This image was taken in April, 2012.

The other day Steve unceremoneously threw me out of the car at 50 mph so I could get my picture of the day...oops...wait...that's not right! :D Let me try again! Steve and I stopped at a pretty little trail where I spent 20 minutes taking pictures of the beautiful White Campion blossoms I found there. And along the way I found this cutie pie in ambush position with hopes of a tasty insect landing close enough to jump on! :) I was delighted that this picture turned out, as the light was poor here and there was a strong breeze! I took about 5-8 shots and only one other one turned out well! It's always a good idea to take a number of pictures of each subject at different apertures to help ensure success, especially when conditions are challenging!

I found this beautiful yellow crab spider in our smaller meadow this morning! He must have come from a yellow flower, as his color hadn't changed to reflect his new ambush spot yet. It takes a couple of days before their color shifts, but these wonderful camoflauge artists can change to match many colors in nature to blend in!