Sunday, January 29, 2012

Grey Huntsman

.....or poke it with a tape measure in this case.
 A common visitor in these parts is the Grey Huntsman spider.

They can grow as big as a hand span.
 Huntsman spiders are fast,
and hunt quite easily upside down on ceilings or walls.
They only seem to hang around for a few days, then they disappear.


Quite an impressive spider!


Sandi x
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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Blending In

A couple of  little spiders for you to look at today.
The first one is a flower spider. What unusual markings it has.
These guys usually sit inside a flower to ambush their prey.



The second one is a crab spider.
It would be very hard to spot sitting on a plant stem or the trunk of a tree.


I have a few more spiders to show you, but I will keep them for another day.
Cheerio,
Sandi x
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Friday, January 27, 2012

A Rather Large Lacewing

I found this lovely lacewing (Nymphes myrmeleonides) recently. It had been attracted by the house lights.
These particular ones are sometimes mistaken for dragonflies.


You can see how they get their name 'lacewing' from their gauzy, net-like wings which are very richly patterned with veins.

I am constanly amazed by the variety of wildlife found in my garden, and hope you enjoy discovering them with me.

Cheerio,
Sandi x
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