Diaea dorsata

Spider, Diaea dorsata, female.  Spring Park, 17 November 2012.  Brought back to Hayes for photography.

While we're on spiders, here is a pretty little specimen that one of the Orpington Field Club spotted on a walk in Spring Park.   It's a crab spider, a type that catches prey by lurking on spots they will visit and pouncing when they arrive.

The best known crab spiders wait in flowers, and catch the insects that come for nectar or pollen.   This one waits on tree leaves, typically Oak.  Like some other crab spiders, she can make some changes to her colour.  It takes a few days.  But this mixture of green, yellow and brown should work well in autumn.