The Ant, The Spider And The Bee

I saw what I thought was a fly at a strange angle on a teasel seedhead. On closer inspection it was, what I think is, a winged queen black ant. I haven't noticed any flying ants here today but I've read on Twitter that they're emerging in the locality. Ants are very good at short term weather forecasting. They need warm improving weather with little wind for their nuptial flights. Shame that my ant has been caught by a crab spider and her life cut short. I've read that queen black ants can live for up to twenty-nine years! I was also interested to learn that once they have bitten off their wings they set up a new colony and don't eat initially but survive on their redundant flight muscles as a nutrition source. The spider is much smaller than the Misumena vatia species that I've shot many times before. I think it is Xysticus audax.

I've added a solitary bee on a sowthistle bloom to extras. It's much larger than the one I shot the other day. Could be one of the Andrenas.