Cretian Rock Tulip - Tulipa saxatilis with crab spider in reflected ultraviolet photography and simulated bee vision

Today shots of a Cretian Rock Tulip - Tulipa saxatilis with a crab spider sitting in it, just having its lunch, in reflected ultraviolet photography, using my "work horse" UV filter, the Baader-U filter, as well as my XBV6 filter for simulated bee vision. Lens was a CERCO 94mm quartz fluorite lens. Light source was sunlight. All shots were done at about f5.6.

[click on image to see a larger one]

Triptych of human vision, UV and simulated bee vision (left to right):
 

This tulip has a rather subtle UV pattern, tricky with inside UV reflective petals, which reflect UV rather well around 380nm using a very shiny petal surface and quite classic, an UV dark center creating a bullseye pattern. Surpisingly the spider also appears quite well in UV and has UV bright spots on it - maybe to attract its prey? Only nature knows...

I have written about this Tulip previously HERE and about the crab spider HERE

Stay tuned, more will follow on that fascinating subject...

More info on this very interesting field may be found on my site http://www.pbase.com/kds315/uv_photos