Crab spider

Lots of spider blips lately, but cannot be helped.

I went out early today, to see what else was available. Sometimes earlier sessions produce a different range of bugs.

As I was walking passed the tree with the carpenter bee nest hole, I looked up and saw some action. The nest was still live. The bee popped its head out, but while I was faffing around with the monopod, the bee flew off. I should have just took the shots, DUH!

I waited for the bee to return for twenty minutes. How long does it take to collect some pollen. Unfortunately, when the bee finally returned, I was distracted by a tree shrew and just saw the tail end of the bee disappear into the hole.

More waiting and then it started to rain. That was the end of that safari. On the way back, I spotted this crab spider and managed to grab an image before things got too wet. It was strange to find this spider away from a flower, as that is its usual hunting ground and the reason for the camouflage colouring. The explanation can be seen on the stem, this female had started to manufacture a nest to lay its eggs.

Interesting that the bee activity was so early, as I have spent many hours over the last year staring at this hole with no pay-out. This may be an opportunity to try out my new remote control. I need to find a folding chair for the job, as looking up for an hour this morning has hurt my neck and back.

The crab spider is very similar to the goldenrod crab spider, but the brown patch is different. I could not find an ID unfortunately.

Dave