Day 298: Sorry to spring this on the arachnophobes in my audience without any forewarning, but trust me, I fall within your numbers. That does not stop me from appreciating the clever beauty of Misumena vatia, the Goldenrod Crab Spider so common in Pacific Northwest gardens. Misumena exhibits quite a range of colour variation from solid yellow to a gold heavily striped with red, a factor which renders it relatively unnoticeable when it's perched on an orangey-gold Rudbeckia flower. This female (note the large abdomen) took me entirely by surprise when I bent over to turn on the water tap. After I began breathing again, I retrieved the camera from the house, but she was not exactly enthusiastic about having her portrait made. Although I was careful not to allow my shadow to fall across her, she waved her forearms at me menacingly. I took the picture and the hint, and left her in peace. Sometimes using a foe's fear against themselves is the best defense. Misumena wins this round.
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