1. Hanging quietly in its intricate web, you can see its colorful and spiny top side.
2. A closer view.
3. Getting a good shot of its underside was a bit difficult due to wind and an awkward angle.
4. A cropped in view.
5. Another view of the top side -- this time taken with the telephoto lens.
6. Why are you on that side of the fence, Mom? Come back over here!
My neighbor came by a little while ago to ask me if I wanted to photograph a crab spider he had found in his yard. This turned out to be a Spiny Orb Weaver. It is a colorful little spider and, based on my neighbor's comment that this one is much larger than usual, I'm assuming it is a female. From the University of Florida website (linked above):
One of the more colorful spiders in Florida is a spiny orb weaver, Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus) 1767. Although not as large as some of the other common orb weavers (e.g., Argiope, Levi 1968; Neoscona, Edwards 1984), the combination of color, shape, and web characteristics make G. cancriformis one of the most conspicuous of spiders. The colloquial name for this spider in parts of Florida is "crab spider", although it is not related to any of the families of spiders commonly called crab spiders, e.g., Thomisidoe.
While I was taking these pictures, poor blind Ozzie became a bit confused and frustrated. He could hear me but that darned fence kept him from actually finding me. We were soon reunited.
Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone!