Pollinator Watch

I've been watching for pollinators on the Camassia and so has this crab spider. Flowers spiders, as crab spiders are also known, have short, wide, flat bodies with two pairs of over sized front legs for grabbing and holding their prey, and small venomous fangs for injecting a paralyzing poison.

That fast acting venom means they can catch grasshoppers and butterflies. As hunters they wait  patiently for an unsuspecting bee or fly to land near their hiding spot and then grab them. They are quick and like crabs can move backwards, forwards and sideways with ease. Masters of camouflage, they can change colors to match the flower they are hiding on.

Carpenter bee and Blue Orchard Mason bee early spring 2015

Although, they eat beloved pollinators, they are considered beneficial in the garden and also prey upon flies, mosquitoes, moths, and other insect pests. Crab spiders are not immune to being preyed upon, they're often a tasty dish for wasps, ants, large spiders, lizards, birds and shrews.

The food chain in a garden is so dramatic. It's better than most TV shows!

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Dangerous Times In A Garden

For any pollinator that stops by for a late summer or early fall nosh of pollen or nectar.

 Crab spiders are busy hunting all season, but they are especially noticeable on the nectar and pollen rich fall flowers.

look closely to see the critters

Clever little critter~that's exactly where all the pollinator action is from now until frost.

they resemble crabs with their oversized pairs of legs

Flowers spiders, as crab spiders are also known, have short, wide, flat bodies with two pairs of over sized crab like front legs for grabbing and holding their prey, and small venomous fangs for injecting a paralyzing poison. They are the stuff of nightmares for flies and bees, but, that fast acting venom means they can catch grasshoppers and butterflies...

the coloring matches the Rudbeckia cone

They are generally passive ambush hunters, waiting patiently for an unsuspecting bee or fly to land near their hiding spot. They are quick and like crabs can move backwards, forwards and sideways with ease. 

Crab spider hiding among Asclepias incarnata leaves

Masters of camouflage, they can change colors to match the flower they are hiding on.

No pollinator could distinguish this carefully constructed hiding place on Rudbeckia triloba from petals fluttering in the wind.

So, my darling bees and my precious butterflies you must be careful out there! 

Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopsis cecrops)

There is no way to tell if there is a treat or a trap on any flower you land upon. There is danger lurking everywhere and even though I know it's all part of the circle of life, I wish you safe and happy nectaring.

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.