Eric Gofreed
Well-Known Member
Perched on a grass blade, this female lynx spider (likely Peucetia viridans) guards her egg sac with silent intensity. Her body is almost translucent green, perfectly camouflaged among the stems and leaves. Look closer and you’ll see fine black spines on her legs, like botanical barbed wire.
Lynx spiders don’t spin webs to catch prey—they’re ambush predators, fast and agile, and their eyes offer nearly 360° vision. The egg sac, carefully constructed from silk, is held beneath her body where she can protect it from parasitic wasps and other threats. As summer wanes and the grasses shift from green to gold, so does she, fading to match her background. Her camouflage isn’t just for sneaking up on prey; it’s for surviving in plain sight.
The spiderlings hatch in about 2–3 weeks. Once they emerge, they’re on their own. There’s no maternal feeding or extended protection.
Photographer’s Note:
This is an older shot—taken before I started using flash: just reflectors, sunlight, and a lot of patience. I may have done some gentle trimming with scissors to clear the background, but this spider wasn’t collected or moved. Just as I don’t disturb a bird on its nest, I don’t interfere with spiders guarding egg sacs. She was free to leave if she felt threatened—but honestly, she wasn’t going anywhere unless it involved fangs. Any trimming I did was far enough away that it didn’t interfere with her camouflage or increase the risk of predation.
Lynx spiders don’t spin webs to catch prey—they’re ambush predators, fast and agile, and their eyes offer nearly 360° vision. The egg sac, carefully constructed from silk, is held beneath her body where she can protect it from parasitic wasps and other threats. As summer wanes and the grasses shift from green to gold, so does she, fading to match her background. Her camouflage isn’t just for sneaking up on prey; it’s for surviving in plain sight.
The spiderlings hatch in about 2–3 weeks. Once they emerge, they’re on their own. There’s no maternal feeding or extended protection.
Photographer’s Note:
This is an older shot—taken before I started using flash: just reflectors, sunlight, and a lot of patience. I may have done some gentle trimming with scissors to clear the background, but this spider wasn’t collected or moved. Just as I don’t disturb a bird on its nest, I don’t interfere with spiders guarding egg sacs. She was free to leave if she felt threatened—but honestly, she wasn’t going anywhere unless it involved fangs. Any trimming I did was far enough away that it didn’t interfere with her camouflage or increase the risk of predation.
