Speck

I just don't know how to convey how small this crab spider was... 

I was simply photographing the flower, a tiny moonbeam coreopsis, that was glowing in the afternoon sun.  As I squinted I noticed a "speck" of something on one of the petals.  It took blowing up the image to see that it was an insect.   However, until I got a closer image, I wasn't sure what kind.  I've seen aphids that were bigger!  For reference: the center of this flower is less than a 1/4 inch across (about 6 mm).


While taking this image, I had to stand straddling a pricker bush with my foot in a huge spider web... otherwise I was blocking the sun.  As it turns out, that huge (mess of a) spider web belonged to a weaver couple!  I've never seen spiders work or behave as a couple before.  It was interesting to watch how they each had a job...  they came together occasionally...  or one ate while the other protected... I did my best to get both in an image.  It was hard to do with the macro lens, as they weren't on the same plane often.  But, one image shows them together (she's the one in focus), the other is of him eating while she waits or protects.  Nice of them to pose for pictures after I stepped on their web earlier...