Friday, May 25, 2012

IN THE PINK

A chamaeleon
We love the light, paper quality of the rose petals and pink crab spider that Sylvia achieved, again using her smart-phone, in her garden in the Gard.  Rather than spinning a web, this spider is a master at camouflage and hides on flowers waiting to leap on its prey. It changes color according to the flower on which it is hunting.

Araignée du matin, chagrin; araignée du soir, espoir.
Spider in the morning, chagrin; spider in the evening, hope. This common French dictum is interpreted by the superstitious to mean that if you see a spider in the morning it brings bad luck; but if in the evening, good luck. Other sources relate it to weather prediction: a busy spider in the morning indicates  rain for later in the day; one out at night means the weather will be fine.

Vocabulary
une araignée-crabe rose (Thomisus onustus):  a pink crab spider
une araignée:  a spider
le chagrin:  chagrin, grief, sorrow
l'espoir:  hope
rose:  pink
une rose:  a rose
un rosier:  a rosebush

©2012 P.B. Lecron

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