Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Female Goldenrod Spider

I spotted this misumena vatia in the parking lot at work, on a sunflower that survived being mowed down. They are usually hard to find due to their ability to change color at will. "The color change is made possible by secreting a liquid yellow pigment into the outer cell layer of the body. On a white base, this pigment is transported into lower layers, so that inner glands, filled with white guanine, become visible." (Wikipedia)
The first day I took photos, they all turned out blurry, but a few days later I found it again on another flower of the same plant, and adjusted all the settings on my camera till it came out right. For some perspective, the back end of this one is about 5mm across.
I think it's amazing that God makes every creature uniquely fit for its place. These spiders are found almost exclusively on goldenrod, sunflowers, and a few other yellow and white flowers. The flowers die (or get mowed down), but year after year these spiders find them and continue to reproduce. To God be the glory!
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