Flower Hunters

When it comes to carnivorous invertebrates, I've always had a soft spot for dragonflies (as regular blog visitors will recognize).  But perhaps coming a close second, at least from a photographer's perspective, is the unrelated group of critters that I'll call flower predators.  These crafty creatures disguise themselves as flower parts and prey upon unsuspecting pollinators, taking cunning advantage of nature's elaborate system for insect attraction.

Last year I posted the photo below of a Goldenrod Crab Spider preying on a European Honey Bee (albeit not on Goldenrod).  These little spiders are favourites of mine, and can actually change their colour from white to yellow in order to match their background.

Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) with European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

A few days ago I had the good luck to stumble upon a completely different flower predator, also munching (or rather sucking) on a meal of bee.  Ambush bugs belong to a group of insects that entomologists confusingly call "True Bugs".  The group is distinguished by its mouthparts, which function as a bi-directional, hypodermic needle.  They impale their prey (which may be animal or plant, depending on the species), inject a digestive enzyme then suck out the resultant goop.

The ambush bugs get their name from their hunting strategy, which as you may now have guessed, involves sitting in wait, camouflaged on a flower.  They then use their raptorial forelimbs to snare their prey, then quickly set about the act of pre-digestion.

I am admittedly poorly-acquainted with our native bees, so while I have some inklings, I will withhold any embarrassing guess at the identity of the unfortunate victim.

Ambush Bug (Phymata sp.) with prey

And another angle on the action:

Keep an eye out for upside-down bees as you smell the flowers - they always point you to something good!

Kyle