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 my camera on a tripod, focused on this scene, from 7:41 to 9:49 am. The spider remained almost motionless the whole time. I saw some ants venture nearby, but never saw the spider catch an ant. 7:41 am.