This is half-pie.

the green spider

Posted 14. April 2006, 21:19 in by Alan Macdougall, received 2 comments, comments closed.

It came in with Becky, after she’d hung out some washing: the largest of these we have yet seen. (The previous photo I took some three years ago was of a much smaller specimen.)

Coloaranea viriditas (1)

Once again consulting Forster & Forster I found it was an orbweb spider: Coloaranea viriditas, a very poetic and appropriate name given its colour. Supposedly quite common, although who would know: it’s not an easy one to spot.

I wanted to take a decent photo of it, but the damn thing moved too quickly, much too quickly for my clumsy attempts at manually focussing the s5500. Even putting it in the fridge for a couple hours didn’t slow it down much.

So here’s a best of a bad bunch: a somewhat contrived arrangement of a green spider on a red (and probably dead) succulent.

Coloaranea viriditas (2)

Roll on the day when I get hold of a digital SLR with a decent and speedy macro system…




Comments

  1. Mr Reasonable
    16 April 2006, 19:06 #

    Obvious question Alan: Does it bite and if it does how long have I got?

  2. Alan
    16 April 2006, 20:22 #

    No – it’s too small to be much good at biting.

    But if it could bite you: well I suppose you’d have time to kiss your wife goodbye, but only just.

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