Look beneath the beckoning beauty of a simple wild rose, and you might be fortunate enough to witness an incredible scene of “nature being nature.” Neither seen nor even suspected by most, a life-and-death struggle between colorful crab spiders and unwitting honeybees plays out each summer amidst enticing bouquets of wild roses and crowns of coastal angelica.
The spiders come in striking yellow and white varieties, each sporting a vivid red racing stripe. While this clip makes their interaction with bees seem quick and relatively simple, I’ll post a longer clip soon that will show how much time and effort it actually takes for the arachnids to capture dinner.
Wild roses have long been my favorite scent in nature. But I must admit that ever since stumbling upon this drama a few summers ago, I have proceeded with newfound caution whenever overtaken by desire to bury my nose in a rose. And thus I sympathize with actual arachnophobes, who may find themselves requesting carnations rather than roses on Valentine’s Days henceforth.
