Chaparral Clematis with Crab Spider and Winter Ants
On Trail 14 near Searsville Lake, not far from Trail 8: photographing a nice group of flowers of chaparral clematis (C. lasiantha, AKA pipestem clematis), I notice the ants, then the stationary spider! A crab spider (Diaea livens) waits patiently, almost motionless, while native winter ants (Prenolepis imparis) browse busily in the flowers. I set up a tripod, focus on the spider, and wait... 8:34 am. If you compare this image closely with previous ones, you can tell that the spider has moved a little.