Goldenrod Spider (Misumena vatia) – I see the female plenty of times around the garden, but hardly ever the male. This one must have been real hungry perched on the edge of a petal trying to grab passing flies.
© Peter Hillman ♦ 20th May 2018 ♦ Rear garden, Staffordshire ♦ Nikon D7200
Nature Journeys 
What a great spider stance you’ve captured. I’ve never seen a spider in that position before, so congratulations on capturing it.
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Thank you very much, Vicki. I was amazed at how well-balanced he was … but noticed he had very fine silk guides helping him 🙂
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I can just see some silk beneath him, but I wouldn’t have noticed it had you not mentioned it. As it was, my first thought when I saw the first image was, “No! Don’t jump! It’s never an answer!” I suspect there are a lot of people feeling ‘on the edge’ these days!
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Your last words are so right. We all seem hooked to the tv and the news channels, and seeing how this virus is affecting the whole globe, and how leaders are trying to get to grips with it. All our lives have been turned topsy-turvy … but hopefully we will ride the storm to the calm the other side.
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Wow, that’s an impressive catch.
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Thank you, Ted 🙂 MIght not never see one again, so glad I got the shots in.
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He has chosen a very attractive background!
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Cool captures, Peter, and that bright yellow petal is perfect for the spider to show off!
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Thank you, Ellen 🙂 I guess it is.
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Nice one, Pete.
You’re right, rare to see one of the males, and they are much smaller than the females.
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Thank you, Ark. Hardly ever see the males here, so this was a treat 🙂
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Amazing captures. Seems to be hanging on to nothing. 😊
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Thank you, Irene 🙂
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Wonderful close up 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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So tiny! Well captured, Pete!
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Thank you, Eliza 🙂
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We have the same species in northern Minnesota, and I love scouting for them when our wildflowers are in bloom; they especially love our brown-eyed Susans, daisies, and asters. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of the tiny males before, though I will certainly be looking all the more diligently from now on–provided we’re ever able to fly back there from New Zealand again. What a beautiful job you’ve done with this amazing pose! Was it actually trying to snatch insects in flight?
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You are lucky if you mange to see any male of any species of spider I think. They appear to be a lot shyer than the female for some reason, but I hope you get to see your male crab spider and shoot it, with your camera of course. I count myself lucky with this one, so thank you, Gary. I believe it was trying to snare prey. I have managed to capture the female with prey before. You can have a look below if you want. One is a bee, the other a butterfly, believe it or not.
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OK, turnabout’s fair play–here’s one I posted back in 2012. Fair warning though, not up to my usual photo standards, as you’ll see, since I didn’t have my macro lens . . . https://krikitarts.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/the-little-beauty-and-the-wee-beastie/. Here’s another, more recent one: https://krikitarts.wordpress.com/2018/06/27/webnesday-47/. Cheers!
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Excellent action photos!
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Thank you, Belinda 🙂
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Beautiful! Nicely caught, Peter!
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Thank you, Anki 🙂
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Fab pictures. Maybe he’s snuck out for a bit to stockpile some food. Panic-grabbing.
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Hahha 🙂 Maybe. Thank you 🙂
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