Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning

Early morning walk to the lake - an orange moth

Transparent wings

A red beetle?

Face of another red insect

Blue heron- fishing

Spooked birds

Lyssomanes viridis is a jumping spider (Salticidae). Most (maybe all) jumping spiders have steerable retinas - where the lens remains fixed and the retina is moved to capture images from different angles. When the spider is looking at the camera - the eye appears black - the retina. When looking away - the eye appears green. Because the two retinas are independently steered - you see interesting patterns of movement as she moves her retina - here you see her right retina

And here the left retina. The lateral eyes - above and to the right and left of the anterior median eyes are smaller and always black - because the retina is fixed

Here you see a dark area behind the left eye - which I believe is the steerable retina and attached muscle and light tube

Both eyes clear - except upper region of right eye

C. Frank Starmer

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