Fred's Carnivorous Plants and other oddities

[fredg]

It's definitely spider season.

1. A female Araneus that is now keeping me company in the Fernery. She has a definite pinkish tinge to her.
2. A tiny Araneus fenale with a tan colouring.
3. A male Araneus in waiting until his turn on the menu.

[fredg]

This lady ran out of a compost bag when I moved it this morning. She wouldn't sit still on the floor to have her photo taken so I picked her up and put her on the wall.
She's a Laced Web Spider and either a Amaurobius fenestralis or a Amaurobius similis.
A couple if sites label her as a False Widow Spider but I don't agree with that.

[fredg]

A change from spiders.

Palomena prasina - The Green Shieldbug, this is a 4th instar nymph.

[fredg]

I de3cided this year to once again grow some Drosophyllum lusitanicum. When I gre them previously , some 30 years ago, it was as an annual and in smaller pots of around 5". This time I'm going to try to get them to a more natural shrub size in larger pots.
So far I have a 12" and two 10" pots planted up with three plants in each. Hopefully they'll not be too overcrowded andn be happy together.
All pots have electric slug/snail barriers (electrified adhesive copper tape) with the two 10" pots sharing the circuit.

[mark smyth]

looking good

[mark smyth]

Today I cut off the flowers from all of my Drosera because I want to keep the pots pure. Using tweezers I picked out the tiny stems but accidentally pulled off a rosette of Drosera pulchellus x erichonae. What do I do with it?

Drosera pulchellus x erichonae

[fredg]

That's a tempting question Mark  . Personally I'd just throw it, you should have plenty gemmae soon on those pygmies.

Edit: Are the hybrid flowers even fertile?

The name on that one I believe is Drosera ericksoniana x pulchella

[fredg]

Another 4th instar nymph of the Green Shieldbug. This time the host plant is a Daphnea that's been well frequented by leaf-cutter bees.

[fredg]

The Heliamphora heterodoxa x minor is progressing really well. I wish I'd thought of the super long toms earlier. However, I've suddenly found it to be a bit more difficult to water that tray and the pitchers than previously.

[fredg]

There were a couple of large Opilio saxatilis ( if you know differently please say so) on the wall this afternoon so you'll just have to suffer the photos 

Photo 1 shows just how long those legs are.
Photo 2 just lets you look into those eyes

[fredg]

And another, as close as I could get without removing wall.

[fredg]

The photo of the flower on this Pinguicula "Linz" is showing about the best colour rendition I've seen for this plant. Most photos are too bright and pink whereas the colour is more ripe plum slightly bluer than here but not so far blue as a Damson. I'd just spotted that it's open and it's a little dull so the photo isn't as sharp as I'd like. Nevertheless it's one to record. I'll try for a better shot tomorrow.

[David Nicholson]

Pretty.

[fredg]

There's a new web at the bottom of the garden. She's managed to span 8ft and she's only medium size. Nice colour on her.

[fredg]

This little fellow got quite attached to me, literally. He ended up hanging from my nose 

Considering I'd not seen a male Araneus until this year they're proving to be quite common at the moment.