38 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2015
h look! There's a pretty
flower! Mmmm … sweet
nectar!"
"Woo Hoo! Another pretty
flower! Mmmm … sweet
nectar!"
"And another one! Mmmm … sweet
nectar!"
"Ooh! That's an extra pretty one!
Mmmm … sweet ... Hey! What the ...?"
AAAAUUGHH!
And once again, nature reminds us
that the world is not all sweetness and
light.
In the Africa savanna, crocodiles lie
hidden in watering holes, knowing their
patience will be rewarded because their
prey animals have to drink eventually.
All the crocs have to do is wait.
In Nebraska prairies, there are
no crocodiles. As far as you know.
However, there are crab spiders,
praying mantises, ambush bugs and
numerous other tiny predators that
employ the same deadly strategy.
Instead of water, the intended prey
of these little killers needs nectar and
pollen. The predators just have to sit
on or near a pretty flower and wait.
They'll come alright. They'll come …
Mmmm … sweet nectar!
If you look carefully as you walk
around a prairie, you'll be surprised at
how many tiny predators you can find.
Some, such as crab spiders and ambush
bugs, sit right on flowers; their success
DEATH AMONG
THE
FLOWERS
Ah, the life of a butterfly ...
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
Left: This unwary orange sulphur butterfly
was caught by a waiting crab spider
on a hoary vervain flower at the Nature
Conservancy's Platte River Prairies.
Above, right: A crab spider waits on
purple poppy mallow at the Nature
Conservancy's Platte River Prairies. Its
front two sets of legs are extra long –
perfect for grabbing prey.
Opposite: An ambush bug is well-
camouflaged on a goldenrod flower at
Lincoln Creek Prairie in Aurora.
"O
