A little help
What better place to hang out than the slightly rusted, slightly crooked driveway gate, with its formerly white slats offering easy transitions from one side to the other, and easy access to the top bar, where the flies also hang out?
That’s exactly the place where I first met Jinny, a few nights ago. She was patrolling the top bar, and slid on the other side of the gate when I got too close. I was on my way out, and already late, so I resisted the urge to get back in and grab the camera... a second time. (By the way, eternal gratitude to all my friends who tolerate my chronic tardiness.)
I saw Jinny again this morning. She was on one of the slats, in full sun, probably warming up. I ran inside and came back out with the camera, without the flash. I didn’t have much time before I had to start my workday, and I decided to see what would come out of it.
I tried to follow Jinny gently, as she performed some evasive manoeuvers.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO500, no flash
She didn’t seem overly scared, though. Curious, perhaps. It took us a while to get oriented to each other.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/200s, f5, ISO64, no flash
OM 60mm Macro, 1/320s, f11, ISO400, no flash
At the naked eye, and under the already strong sunlight, amplified by the white sidings, she looked just plain black. What a surprise to see her true colors, once I opened the photos! I've been warming up to spiders, but I would never have thought I'd fall in love with one so quickly.
The hair on Jinny's forehead is golden, almost iridescent. It's followed by a band of lighter brown.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO400, no flash
On her back, she has bands of white and reddish-brown hair, with a patch of iridescent green and a characteristic white triangular marking.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
She’s clearly a jumping spider (Saliticidae family), and in all likelihood a Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus Audax). Like the name implies, jumping spiders are audacious hunters, who forgo the convenience of a web to actively stalk and attack their prey.
They still make silk, however. Looking at her back (in the photo above), I noticed that Jinny had a tiny silk thread - called dragline - tethering her to the bar. She could use it in case a jump failed, or in case of a fall. The dragline would absorb the energy of the fall by stretching, without breaking.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO320, no flash
In case you’re curious, I had no idea how to tell a female from a male spider apart, before writing this. I can now confidently call her Jinny because I learned that the shape of the "pedipalps" is a good indicator of sex. In case you don't know (and I certainly didn't) "pedipalps" are the appendages that arachnids have between the jaws and the first pair of walking legs. They are used to manipulate food, to feel the environment, and for reproduction - hence the sex difference. Female spiders have thin pedipalps. By contrast, in males, the pedipalps look like boxing gloves. I have not met a male jumping spider, yet, but the grass spider below is clearly a male.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f10, ISO200, flash, no diffuser
And yes, padipalps is my new favorite word. Pedipalps. Pedipalps. Pedipalps. It makes me happy just to say it. (You should try, too!)
Back to Jinny. After I took a few photos in the morning, I beat myself up a bit (or a lot) for shooting without flash and diffuser. I knew that the diffuser would have prevented me from getting a good angle on her, due to her position, but I still couldn't help feeling somewhat lazy and/or sloppy.
When I saw her again in the afternoon, on top of the bar, I was determined to do it right.
But how to keep her on the top bar? I thought a food offering might warm her up to my presence and keep her from retreating to the slats. I remembered I’d just seen a dead fly in the corner of a window, so I ran in, collected the deceased insect, and placed it on the bar. That got Jinny's attention in no time.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
But alas, the fly had been dead for a while, and what was I thinking? Jinny did a lightning fast 360º, turning away from the fly and staring at me defiantly. Didn’t I know that she likes her food fresh?
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
Well actually… I really didn’t. And that’s why I placed the fly on the bar again, after the wind blew it off.
My efforts seemed doomed... But we were both in for a surprise. As the fly crumbled, after so much handling, a tiny centipede (?) emerged. Jinny locked onto it right away. You can see her intent stare.
Fast forward a second or two later, and Jinny was having dinner.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
Evidently pleased with my offering, and absorbed in her meal, Jinny agreed to a couple of close up shots.
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
OM 60mm Macro, 1/250s, f11, ISO200, flash + diffuser
I apologize to centipedes for my lack of empathy. Knowing that Jinny is a merciless hunter doesn’t make her any less cute. There’s a lot you can get away with, when you’re pretty.
Also...
Pedipalps.
Pedipalps.
Pedipalps.
Elena Corriero