Flower Spiders Original Drawing

Misumena spp.

Colored pencil on Duralene, 2006

15 x 15″; framed

Not all spiders are scary-looking—some of them are downright gorgeous. These flower spiders (also known as crab spiders) lay in wait on flowers, where they pounce on visiting insects. While it does make me a little sad to think of a bee falling prey to one of these beauties, I also know that they are an important part of the ecosystem. All the spiders depicted in this piece are North American species.