The Writing Spider and a Green Lynx

The frogs and the fish are staying low in the pond these days. Yesterday seemed cooler – it is amazing to think 90º would be "cooler." The pond has been doing well, even in the heat. There are some tadpoles left. This spring I added an obedient plant – and it is not obedient! The pot constantly tipped over – so now the plant is at a 90º angle – but it is blooming nicely! I need to do something better with the pot to make it more secure.

I did get out and find a few spiders the other day. There were some huge ones out there! Suspended between the fence and a butterfly bush was a black and yellow argiope, or commonly known as a "writing spider." This spider uses a web to catch its prey. When I first saw this spider it was just moving into its web. It stretched its legs and body looking as it had just rolled out of bed.

Another spider I found was the Green Lynx. It is a creepy-looking spider and does not use a web. The Green Lynx attacks and grabs its prey. You can find this one lurking on plants waiting for some unsuspecting bug to come along. The photo I am posting is the green lynx on a daylily.

I did not see any crab spiders – but I really did not look for them. After spending time photographing the green lynx and writing spider – I headed indoors to cool off and have a glass of tea. The crab spiders are a little harder to spot. They use camouflage to hide among the flowers and then grab their prey. Their body color will mimic the color of the plant they are on. I usually find them on the zinnias – a rusty-colored one on the red bloom and a yellow one on the yellow bloom and so on and so on.