Family Oxyopidae - Lynx spiders
These spiders are very colorful from green to yellow to red and in various shades. They are abundant in the garden.
The female's abdomen swells as she is gravid. She spins an egg sac and fills it with her egg. The mother protects her egg sac and helps open it when the spiderlings are ready to emerge. Small spiders are seen throughout the garden in varying sizes as they develop their own territories. They do not create a snare, but hunt in bushes and are voracious predators of wasps and bees.
Egg sacs appear mid-september with mother guarding it until they hatch. Multiple sacs may be created by the same spider, with hatchlings appearing mid-October through mid-January. After that, it is many tiny green lynx spiders growing bigger each time you see them.
All images © Kim Moore (contact for use)
