Along Came A Spider

You know that you live in the suburbs when cars slow down so that the people inside can pose with their best duck face for your camera. And kids walking by stop and make faces at you.  And I aim my camera and smile at them like I took their picture. To be polite.  Because, all I'm really trying to do is take a cool shot of a crab spider hunting on my star magnolia.

A hunting crab spider

A hunting crab spider

I'm fascinated by the spiders and other beneficial insects in my garden.  Last summer, we taught a lesson on spiders to a group of students at the Hazel Dell School and Community Garden.  After the lesson, the students built spiders out of 2 green grapes on a toothpick, celery was used for the legs, and the kids pressed 8 sunflower seeds to represent eyes into the first body segment.  They were a really cute project and snack.  I'd never before heard kids exclaim, "I'm hungry, can I eat my spider now?"  

let me take a look at you

let me take a look at you

The crab spider stands poised with its front legs up and pounces on any unsuspecting insect that comes its way.  It isn't picky.  And it doesn't scare easily.  It merely looked at me like a big dinner.

Unless it's actually posing with its version of a duck face.  I can't tell.  Can you?