Subject: Spider on woody plant
Location: Mt Washington, CA
August 21, 2017 5:59 pm
Dear Mr. Bug,
There is a lovely green spider living on my woody plant. My boyfriend insists that this spider is just guarding the plant from other, more nefarious bugs. It is quite a beautiful spider and has black hairs on its legs. What is it? And will this spider eat my stigmas?
Thanks!
Signature: Lady Nugs
Dear Lady Nugs,
Goodness gracious, Mt. Washington seems to be a fertile environment for growing woody plants. Your boyfriend is correct. Spiders are predatory and not phytophagous, so your plants are safe. This is a Green Lynx Spider, and the shape of the pedipalps indicates this is a female. We did need to brush up on our botany regarding the “stigma”, so we headed to Encyclopaedia Britannica to rediscover that “The gynoecium, or female parts of the flower, comprise the pistils, each of which consists of an ovary, with an upright extension, the style, on the top of which rests the stigma, the pollen-receptive surface.” Your images are gorgeous, and the detail is incredible. It is our experience that Green Lynx Spiders gravitate toward plants where they will be well camouflaged. Your Green Lynx Spider blends in perfectly with the inforescence also visible in the image.
