Harvest Queen

European harvestman, Phalangium opilio.

I was surprised to see this young female harvestman on the top flower of the fennel clump, basking in the blazing sunshine. They are more likely to be out at night.

The sunshine was ferocious today. The sky was clear all day. While it is not as hot here as in countries closer to the equator there is very little pollution in the atmosphere, coupled with the hole on the ozone layer giving us an extra dose of UV light. We have the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world.