For some, six legs too many

Clinging to an old pipe in the dim light of dawn, for some she has six legs too many.

A female crab spider (Mecaphesa dubia) clinging to an old pipe (IMG_1168)

Protecting her egg sac atop a blade of grass, for some she has six legs too many.

A female western lynx spider (Oxyopes scalaris) protecting her egg sac atop a blade of grass (IMG_2152)

Camouflaged in a sandy clearing and surveying for potential prey, for some she has six legs too many.

Close-up of a female wolf spider (Hogna antelucana) (IMG_3511_c)
A female wolf spider (Hogna antelucana) standing in a sandy clearing (IMG_3511)

Skulking in grass and hay in the wee hours of the morning, for some he has six legs too many.

A male rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida) lurking in sparse grass (IMG_0159)
A male rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida) walking through grass (IMG_0164)
A male rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida) approaching atop scattered hay (IMG_0186)
A male rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida) seen from above (IMG_0138)

For some, six legs too many.  For me, legs enough to be captivating.

— — — — — — — — — —

Photos:
(1) Female crab spider (Mecaphesa dubia)
(2) Female western lynx spider (Oxyopes scalaris)
(3) – (4) Female wolf spider (Hogna antelucana)
(5) – (8) Male rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida)

Always fleeting

Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
— Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Sometimes they chase their shadows.

A velvet ant (Dasymutilla sp.) in flight (IMG_3659)

Sometimes their shadows chase them.

A giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) in flight (IMG_3537)

And sometimes their shadows hide beneath them, holding them up, providing the foundation upon which they travel.

A Virginia opossum (a.k.a. possum or tlacuache; Didelphis virginiana) trotting through a clearing (2009_04_19_016210)

Observing wildlife is one thing, but photographing it is another.  Because life is always fleeting.

A juvenile American robin (Turdus migratorius) in flight (2009_09_06_028805)

Sometimes together.

Rock doves (a.k.a. common pigeons; Columba livia) in flight (2008_12_07_000543_ab)

Sometimes alone.

A nutria (a.k.a. coypu; Myocaster coypus) swimming in calm water (2009_06_01_021672)

Sometimes in the city.

A cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) in flight (2009_05_17_019619)

Sometimes in the wild.

A diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer) swimming through a creek (2009_06_06_022472)

Sometimes up close.

A variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) in flight (IMG_3174)

Sometimes at a distance.

A Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri) in flight (2009_12_26_046986)

But always fleeting.

A white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata) in flight (2009_07_18_026922)

Yes, life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

— — — — — — — — — —

Photos:

  1. Velvet ant (Dasymutilla sp.) flying over open ground in East Texas; this female will lose her wings and become a typical velvet ant as soon as she selects a good hunting-cum-nesting site
  2. Giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes); this is the largest butterfly in Canada and the United States
  3. Virginia opossum (a.k.a. possum or tlacuache; Didelphis virginiana); this is the only marsupial found north of Mexico
  4. Juvenile American robin (Turdus migratorius)
  5. Rock doves (a.k.a. common pigeons; Columba livia)
  6. Nutria (a.k.a. coypu; Myocaster coypus)
  7. Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) in breeding plumage
  8. Diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer)
  9. Variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
  10. Forster’s tern (Sterna forsteri)
  11. White-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata)