l’ve been in the field a lot over the last week or so. It’s been very hot, so I’ve been trying to get outside by sunrise. That’s been helpful in terms of getting work done in reasonable temperatures, but also means I’ve had some good photography light. I have hundreds of photos from the last 8 days, but among the subjects I’ve photographed, spiders have been prominent.
Below is a selection of spider photos from the last week or so. Many of you know my proclivity for photographing crab spiders, and several of those are included, but there is a nice selection of others as well. Enjoy!
Crab spider on a wilting shell leaf penstemon flower. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 400, f/11 at 1/160 sec.Tiny spider and orb web. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 400, f/11 at 1/500 sec. Long-jawed orbweaver, backlit on yarrow. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 400, f/13 at 1/80 sec. I think this crab spider had just finished feeding on this stink bug because it dropped it shortly after I took this photo. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 400, f/11 at 1/160 sec. Crab spider silhouette. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 640, f/18 at 1/160 sec. Tiny spider in its web on a shell leaf penstemon plant. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200 sec. Spider hiding on a stem of needle-and-thread grass (Tibellus sp?). Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 320, f/11 at 1/250 sec. Lynx spider on showy milkweed leaf. Nikon 105mm macro lens. ISO 500, f/16 at 1/250 sec.
The Prairie Ecologist 
The second “long-jawed orb weaver” is probably a Tibellus, not related to Tetragnathidae and is a Philodromid, probably Tibellus oblongus.
Thanks! Now that you say so, I can see it’s different. What are the ID characteristics of Tibellus?
A glib way to think of it, Chris, is that Tibellus looks like Tetragnatha with body fuzz and thicker legs.
Nice – I can remember that!
Tetragnathids are usually (not all species) found near or over water. Tibellus is found in grasslands.
Great photos by the way!
I have never seen that last spider before. It is attractive with it’s unusual body shape and color. I always enjoy your insect photos. Well done.