Bold Jumping spider

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Bold Jumping spider

July 1, 2013 by Mike Powell

I have encountered some cool-looking spiders in the past, but I think that this Bold Jumping spider (Phidippus audax) just leaped to number one on my personal list.

I was checking out my neighbor’s garden (fellow blogger and photographer Cindy Dyer) this past weekend, when I saw a little movement among the flowers. The first thing that i noticed was the fuzzy body and I suspected that I had a jumping spider in front of me. It crawled all around a couple of different plants and most of the time it had its back to be. I tried to be patient as I waited for it to turn toward me, so that I could get a shot of its amazing eyes.

It is equally remarkable that the Bold (also known as Daring) Jumping spider has iridescent blue-green mouth parts that are technically known as chelicerae. At first, I thought the spider was eating something brightly colored that really made it stand out—you can’t really camouflage yourself when you have a color that distinctive.

This is the third species of jumping spider that I have now seen in this one little garden. I am not sure what attracts the spiders to it, but the garden has an equal attraction for me.

Posted in Arachnids, Art, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Bold Jumping spider, Canon 100mm macro lens, Canon Rebel XT, jumping spider, Phidippus audax, spider | 12 Comments

12 Responses

on July 1, 2013 at 5:52 am | Reply Ed

That is a stunning animal, great pictures.
- on July 1, 2013 at 5:53 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Ed. I was amazed when I first saw it and am happy that I had the presence of mind to concentrate on photographing it.
on July 1, 2013 at 6:59 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

I like these little guys with all the eyes. Great macros!
on July 1, 2013 at 8:41 am | Reply Katherine Wikoff

That face reminds me of the Abominable Snowman in “Rudolph”!
- on July 1, 2013 at 8:47 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I just Googled the Abominable Snowman and I can see a certain resemblance (though the spider has fewer teeth and a whole lot more eyes).
on July 1, 2013 at 5:01 pm | Reply lylekrahn

You got some amazing photos of that spider. That hair all over its body gives it quite the look
on July 5, 2013 at 9:26 am | Reply Sue

Those are really interesting spiders, with their brightly colored mouth parts. Your macro shots are really impressive.
- on July 5, 2013 at 10:06 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sue. I am amazed at the things that I am seeing and am happy to be able to capture them. During the winter, when I was photographing mostly birds, I was looking at things in a distance and using my telephoto. This spring, I rediscovered my love of macro shots and I think my skills have improved over the past year.
on August 4, 2013 at 1:50 am | Reply Charlie@Settle Trekker

Your impressive photos really catch the detail that makes these very small creatures interesting.
- on August 4, 2013 at 6:46 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie. One of the things that I enjoy about shooting macro is that it lets me highlight some of the details that we rarely see (or never notice).
on August 14, 2013 at 11:26 am | Reply Spider Eyes | Thrasher Pest Control

[…] Bold Jumping spider […]
on December 16, 2014 at 6:22 pm | Reply Pest Control Links Round-Up: Fourth Of July Edition | Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

[…] Bold Jumping spider […]