The Green Lynx
This Green Lynx is the spider who caught my eye on the Yellow Bells bush by the gate. If I had known that this particular spider spits, leaps, and bites I might not have moved in so close for these photos. The Green Lynx Spider is named after the big cat because it is a hunter who leaps from stem to branch to chase down its prey. The web you see in the photo is not spun for catching dinner, but for attaching the dark egg sac firmly to the stem. Not until I was cropping the photo did I see the swarm of baby spiders on the sac. The egg sac holds on average around 200 eggs but may contain as many as 600 if it is the spider’s first sac of the season.
Eight Eyes
The Green Lynx’s eight eyes create a hexagon shape on it’s head. Black spines and polka dots on the spider’s long legs give her a postmodern meets punk style.
Color Adaptation
The Green Lynx’ coloration can change over time to better match its environment within a range of pinks, yellows, and greens. This spider matches the yellow wildflowers where she placed her egg sac. The mother spider leaves her egg sac only to hunt and guards it fiercely with her body.
Building an Egg Sac?
This spider appears to be constructing an egg sack on these seed heads. I’m guessing the shiny substance is spider eggs. If ants attack the sac, the spider will free the sac by cutting web strands until the sac is hanging below the plant. This keeps the ants from reaching sac. (Fink et al, 1987)
