Home»Jasper Ridge Galleries»Adventures on a Smaller Scale»4/30/2016 Crab Spider with Prey, Mating Beetles, & Ants

A walk up to the ridgetop chaparral where Roads D, E, and F meet produced many adventures. This walk was the training for the semi-annual ant survey. I saw many insects and spiders: a bee-fly; many kinds of ants, engaged in interesting behavior including possibly moving a larva; an (empty) chrysalis; mating beetles; bees pollinating flowers; and a crab spider grasping a much larger moth. It is always interesting to get down and watch the small creatures in their activities. Photos of buckeye and Searsville Lake in the late spring, also taken today, are in "A Day at a Time".

Check out Jack Owicki's images from this same hike: <https://symbiote.smugmug.com/Jasper-Ridge/30-April-2016-hike/>. He appreciated my pointing out the crab spider to him, and I appreciate his noticing the mating beetles nearby.