Butterflies and Spiders

Naturalist Jim Dowdell was doing his periodic butterfly inventory at the Burden Hill Preserve when he noticed this butterfly not taking off like the others. Looking more closely (you can click on the image to see a bigger version), he noticed that it was in the grip of a yellow flower spider, also known as a crab spider. These spiders sometimes sew petals together and hide under them in wait for prey. And they--like this specimen--are sometimes camouflaged the same color as their host flower.