Six-Legged Spider

I spotted this yellow crab spider last evening, there was a white one on another umbel on the same hogweed. When I went to check them out this morning I noticed that the yellow one is missing two legs. This afternoon I stood over these females, both in hunting pose and neither having caught anything. A visiting fly got dangerously close to yellow before flitting off. I wonder why yellow is sporting that colour on a white flower? These spiders use active camouflage and can change colour to match the flowers they are on, though this takes some time.

I've discovered that there is a book entitled Six-Legged Spider. It was written for children by Tim Bailie who was inspired to write it by his son who is on the autistic spectrum. "It tells the tale of a young spider who is unable to spin normal webs. She sets off on an adventure to find a job. But what should she be? A juggler? A waitress? A goalkeeper? A drummer? Or perhaps her greatest talent was there all along but she just didn’t realise it. It is a heart-warming and funny story about embracing the differences in others."


I have been amazed by how wild things deal with their injuries and disabilities.