Spider: Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax)

Yesterday was the first sunny day after a week of rain and clouds. The butterfly bush was alive with Fiery Skippers and a couple of Gulf Fritillaries that appeared desperate to feed after days of inclement weather. It’s not often that I can get my hand within an inch of one of these skippers.

Among the skippers was one that wasn’t moving. I suspected that it was a victim of a spider since Green Lynx and crab spiders often hunt here. I was quite surprised to find that the spider in this case was a Bold Jumper (Phidippus audux). I’ve seen many of these spiders but it’s usually difficult to get a good photograph.



Identification resource:
- Bug Guide: Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax)
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