The Green Lynx

Peucetia viridans

Beautiful colors and interesting behaviors make the Green Lynx Spider one of my all time favorites. Rather than spinning webs to ensnare their prey, they use strands of silk to navigate an area where they hunt. Females guard their egg sacs and move them around, if necessary, to keep them safe.​ They help the babies hatch and remain with them for a time afterwards. I have observed them changing color, from their usual bright green to a patterned dark reddish brown, in order to blend in with their surroundings. 

This female lies in wait beneath a flower where she ambushes unsuspecting bees and wasps! She's getting fatter by the day. I discovered her on the ground where she had fallen while I was cutting back some overgrown plants. I carefully coaxed her back up the garden wall and left a large patch of foliage and flowers so she could remain in her home.