Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, is an excellent pollinator plant. But where pollinators feed, predators lurk.
This white crab spider, front legs outstretch for maximum grabbing ability, waits with supreme patience for a pollinator to appear, hoping for nectar and pollen, naive about what other dangers might lurk.
And so it goes in nature: food is provided for a variety of wildlife.
My Gardener Says... 
Great shot, Tina. The web of life indeed.
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Thanks, Eliza! I originally saw the spider on the top of the bloom, but as I was trying to get a good shot, it was trying to get away from me! I guess it thought I was the predator!
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You did some lurking of your own in quest of photographic prey.
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Lurking is part of taking photos in the garden, or anywhere, I suppose!
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Another right time, right place photo with a circle of life story to go with it.
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Too true!
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I really enjoy the crab spiders. I’ve decided that I only see a small percentage of the ones that are around. They do enjoy lurking, and they can be very clever about it! They’re quite sensitive to our presence, as you well know. Trying to chase one around a stem rarely works — at least, for me.
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I imagine there are so many and you’re correct, we only see a very few. That lil stinker kept moving and I tried to convince him/her that all I wanted was a quick photo!
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And so it goes, indeed. What a beautiful capture and description of the circle of life. ❤
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Thanks, Beth. Circle of live, indeed.
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That’s a pretty photo, Tina. Our echinacea haven’t yet opened but I’m expecting the first ones to do so any day.
In your experience, do they spread in your garden? It took a while for them to get established, but now they seem to be taking over and I have to limit their spread.
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