Flower Spiders love Orchids

HAVING SEEN HOW SLOW MY BLOG IS TO DOWNLOAD ON A FRIEND'S COMPUTER (EVEN THOUGH HE IS ON BROADBAND) I HAVE DECIDED TO UPLOAD IMAGES AT MUCH LOWER COMPRESSION, BUT STILL AT THE STANDARD SIZES I HAVE BEEN USING FOR A LONG TIME, WHICH IS 1000 PIXELS WIDE, OR 600 PIXELS FOR SMALLER IMAGES. THE FILE SIZES WILL BE ABOUT 100 Kb.

HOPEFULLY THIS WILL ALLOW REASONABLE VIEWING, WITH MUCH FASTER DOWNLOAD SPEEDS.

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On Sunday, when out with the Illawarra Branch of the Australasian Native Orchid Society, I twice saw specimens of the Pink Flower Spider Diaea evanida.

The first was sitting very boldly on a lovely specimen of a white form of Diuris punctata, the Purple Donkey Orchid.

Here she is, front on.

Much later in the day, we found one sitting, with bee it had captured.

It was on a specimen of the Kangaloon Sun Orchid, at Butler's Swamp. I did not see it on the flower, but someone brought the spider, complete with its "lunch", for the group to admire.
The Spider (still with its prey) was put back on the plant.