a spidery day in August

For some reason the woods were alive with spiders today, a combination of the recent rains and warm weather perhaps.

The mechanics of how this particular spider 'stored it's legs' was a fascinating revelation to me. The legs are all neatly tucked up under the abdomen which in picture 2 and 3 you can see gradually lifting to reveal the legs in all their spidery glory attached to the thorax

freshly caught with no escape

the Greenbottle of course, feeds off carrion

Rhingia Campestris- it's prominent snout and orange abdomen distinguish it from other flies

too small to identify but it looked like a bee the way it was collecting pollen

for no other reason than I love the patterns and shapes within this image

a Shield bug

 Silver -studded blue, this one is female as has a brown upperside. Prefers low-growing plants.

Shield bug