Category: Indiana Dunes Trails

Almost Gotcha…

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

I love Crab Spiders. They are just so cool looking the way they wait in ambush. Sitting quietly on a flower, massive forelimbs stretched out waiting to grasp any other insect that comes with in reach. The front four legs pull the victim in for the paralyzing bite. Then it is feeding time.

They have the ability to blend in almost perfectly with white and yellow flower petals, and they can be incredibly difficult to spot. Usually I see them when I first notice an unusually stationary pollinator. Then I look more closely and spot the forelegs, then the large bulbous body. Their prey can be much larger than they are and I’ve seen large moths, bumble bees, wasps and even other spiders fall victim to them.

Last weekend I was out on the Tolleston Dunes trail and there were a lot of Crab Spiders out doing their business. It is early in the season and they are still young and learning their craft. I was lucky enough to spot this young Crab with a Bee slowly wandering its way.

Here we see the Bee approaching the Crab Spider. I knew what was going to happen next and was hoping to capture the moment the Crab lunged at the Bee. But nature will test your patience, just as the moment arrived a slight puff of wind moved the flower out of view…
… As soon as the flower came back into view I snapped this shot. The Crab had grasped the Bee by the backside and was trying to get in a paralyzing bite but not having much success. In another month the average Crab spider will be about twice the size of this one and more likely to be successful. But on this day…
… The Bee easily shrugged the Crab off and continued doing its business as if nothing had happened.

I found it interesting how the Bee hardly seemed to even notice the Crab Spider. Near as I could tell it never even tried to sting it in self defense. A few seconds later the Bee flew off and the Crab Spider reset to await its next opportunity. Nature is is endlessly fascinating, especially when viewed up close like this.

I will keep trying to capture the moment when the ambush is sprung and eventually I will succeed. Today I almost had it… almost… just like that Crab spider almost had its prey, almost…

Dragonflys of the Great Marsh Trail

Posted on by MC2 · Leave a comment

Dragonflys are amazing creatures, their aerial agility is second to none in the insect world. They are fun to watch and fun to photograph. Different species of Dragonfly have different behavior patterns. Some are almost constantly in flight, others perch on a leaf or the end of a twig. Photographing them close up can be difficult because they have almost 360 degree vision so they can easily see you coming and take off. I find that I get the best results when I stand still and just wait patiently when I know they are around. A telephoto lens with high magnification is almost a necessity if you want to get zoomed in enough to see any detail. It can be challenging, but the results are amazing when you do get a good one.

Here are a few of my favorite photographs of Dragonflys taken along the Great Marsh trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park. There a lot of different species and identification can be difficult, I do my best but make no promises as to accuracy.

There are several very similar species which are nearly all red in color. A really deep and vibrant red. My guess is that this is either a White-faced of Ruby Meadowhawk. The key difference is the color of the face which is more of a tan color for the Ruby. It is difficult to tell the difference in this photo. The photograph at the top of this post may also be the same species, but without being able to see the face it is not possible to be certain.
I believe that this is another White-faced or Ruby Meadowhawk. The brown and tan coloring of the thorax are indicative that it is a female.
Another likely female Meadowhawk. This photograph has one of the best views of the front of the face that I have been able to get. The fact that the dragonfly was perched slightly above me gave a relatively unique perspective. Normally I see them closer to the ground.
Here we have what is almost certainly a Twelve-spotted Skimmer. The Twelve-spotted designation refers to the number of black spots, three on each of four wings. The white spots in between show that this is a male of the species.
The lack of white spots on this Twelve-spotted Skimmer indicates that it is a female. Note the wide and flat character of the tail with respect to that of the Meadowhawks earlier in this post.
The yellow brownish body and eyes look like an Autumn Meadowhawk. It could be either a female or an immature male.
Another possible female or immature male Autumn Meadowhawk. If I have the species correct I would suspect this to be an immature male based on the shape of the end of the tail which is more scoop like in the females.
I have no idea what type of Dragonfly these wings once belonged to. But they go to show that in the insect world, even the apex predators can be caught and eaten by something else. Such is nature.