Found this while taking my evening walk a few days ago. A white spider on what looks like a miniature sunflower. Can anyone identify both? I’ve never seen a spider like that before, or such a flower in the wild.
Soon it begins its acrobatic routine:
a natural for the Cirque du Soleil:
These last two shots are taken pointing to the light, hence the hazy result. But if you look closely you can see this little spider having fun.
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Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.
Fun series.
Sorry, I’ve absolutely no idea what kind of spider it is.
mostraum, that’s ok. looks like I’ve got some answers below. Thanks for stopping by.
I think the flower is called gaillairdia and we called those little spider garden spinners, but that’s no scientific name for sure! Loively shots!
Yes, I think you’re right. As you can see from below, I’ve got several suggestions of the Gaillardia.
Amazing photos! I’ve never seen that type of flower or a white spider.
Looks like it’s a kind of gaillardia, which belongs to the family of sunflowers, and the li’ guy is a crab spider.
I pulled gaillairdia somewhere out of my brain, too. Don’t know my spiders, though.
Cool photos!
Joy’s Book Blog
Joy,
Welcome! And yes, you’re right about the gaillairdia. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.
Wow, gorgeous colors! It’s amazing what nature can do. Come see my snapshot for today.
I was surprised to find this one single colorful flower, its seed must have been blown here from gardens nearby.
Lovely picture. Never seen a spider like that before. I love your blog name too, it just sounds so serene. Have a great weekend.
Vithya,
Thanks for visiting. Hope you’re come again and make some ripples here by sharing your thoughts.
Beautiful photos, Arti! I think it’s a crab spider. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_spider
I wrote about a crab spider in this post.
http://catherinesherman.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/life-and-death-in-the-garden/
Thanks for the link. Yes, the flower is Gaillardia and the li’l acrobat is a white crab spider. You’re always one with lots of info at the fingertip.
Cool looking spider. I think the flower is one of the gaillardia varieties. Very colorful and eye-catching.
Yes, you’re right. It’s a kind of sunflower and funny it just stood there all on its own. A single gaillardia.
Lovely captures! It’s great to take the time to see unexpected things….
Absolutely. I always look out for unexpected sights… umm, an oxymoron?
I can’t identify either. The flower is gorgeous, the spider I can do without.
Looks like other commenters have seen them before. Thanks for stopping by.
How fun! And the colors on that flower are lovely.
A kind of miniature sunflowers…. yes, just lovely to see. Thanks for visiting.
I think it’s a crab spider, too – Mecaphesa . You can see another one on a Texas thistle here. I do think the flower is one of the gaillardias, though I’m not sure it’s gaillarida pulchella, our Indian Blanket or Firewheel. If you do a google search for gaillaridia you can see the whole spectrum encompassed by the family. We have fields that fill with acres and acres of these! Here’s an example.
Yes, you’re right on both count I think. And wow, the whole field of gaillardia! Funny I only saw one single stem. You’re always ready for lots of info and photos… thanks for those references. Isn’t that photo of the gaillardia marvellous. Their colors are absolutely adorable. I don’t quite appreciate the spider though, except for its acrobatic skills.
We have spiders like that around here too and they freak my kids out, which is funny because they are my big defenders against the spiders. My rule is, as long as they’re outside then my boys have to leave them alone, with the exception of these giant spiders (hairy and like 3 inches across) which cause me to scream “kill it!” and run the other direction. No one will kill those except my husband. I’ve only found one inside the house that I had to kill on my own before and I was shaky-legged for hours afterward.
That flower is absolutely gorgeous BTW.
For me in my garden, it’s ants. So hard to get rid of them and I’ve practically got ant hills right on my lawn. Anyway, spiders, ants, all insects best to keep them outside. Looks like you’ve a whole army to protect you from the creepy crawlies. A full house of boys, big and small.
They are fabulous photos. I don’t think we have white spiders here though.
This is my first time I see such a creature, as far as I can remember. I bet you have very different insects and flowers in your neck of the woods.
Love the photos, but know the name of neither. Perhaps someone else can identify them.
storygal,
Yes, I’ve got lots of help here. Thanks for stopping by. Hope to hear from you again.
Great pictures! The flower is very pretty!
Thanks for stopping by Kailana!
Wow, such gorgeous pictures. I particularly like the colours in the third one- it looks like you’ve put it through processing or something but I don’t think you have. The flower and spider are both fantastic. I’m glad the clever folks at Saturday Snapshots could track them down for you (and us).
Louise,
Because the last two photos are quite blurry and hazy, I’ve highlighted the contrast a little… just using iPhoto on my laptop. And yes, I’m glad to be surrounded by many resourceful and knowledgeable gardeners and naturalists.
Such an interesting post♫ love reading all the comments as well!
Thanks for stopping by and glad you’ve enjoyed both the post and the comments.
Been catching up with you through your posts about Paris and the arts and your new Saturday photo ops. It makes me realize how summer is flying by — but also, how wonderful it is that we can bottle bits and pieces of life for later consumption. Your last two photos of the snow white spider against summer’s electric blue foliage may prove a nice respite during winter. He looks to be a trapeze artist flying against nature’s neon lights.
Janell,
Thanks for reminding me… yes exactly, we’re constantly ‘bottling bits and pieces of life for later consumption.’ What a poetic and apt metaphor! I’m glad you’ve had an inspiring summer so far, coming back from the Iowa writers workshop. I look forward to our fall and winter pursuits in reading and writing.
What marvelous photos Arti! I love garden spiders but haven’t had one in my garden like that. We get a big orb spiders which make the most interesting huge webs.
Stefanie,
You do? So far looks like you’re the only one who loves garden spiders from the comments above. Also, these photos were taken not in a garden but in the ‘wild’. So I was just pleasantly surprised to see one single gaillarida and one single white crab spider. Chance encounter indeed.
Arti, those photos are amazing. You should enter a competition — well done.
LOL! I’m disappointed with the last two photos because they’re so blurry. Glad you like them.
Even the spiders have their Olympic events! I’ve never seen one like this, either. It’s lovely in that icky spider sort of way!
I should have taken a video of it.
Gorgeous, Arti. I love the colors. Who knows, maybe Cirque du Soleil will adopt a spider routine
Good idea ds. If I’d a video, that could give them some tips on choreography.
I’ve never seen a white spider before! Such a vivid contrast in your pictures.
Really beautiful! I’m with the crowd who has never seen a white spider. Lucky viewing for you!