Oregano from a Spider's Viewpoint

The oregano plant is a perennial species in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region but widely grown elsewhere. The fresh oregano leaves are used by humans as a herb to flavour their food. Often, the flowers are removed as soon as they show to make more leaves grow. Fortunately for me, the humans responsible for my oregano bush seem to like the flowers and leave them for the month long period before they die back.

When the flowers bloom during the month of May, it starts a mad scramble in the insect world for the pollen and nectar they produce, this is when my summer feast begins.

Sorry, I should introduce myself, my name is Miss Umena but you can call me by my nickname ‘Meany’, I get called that a lot by the tourists to the oregano but I have no idea why. 🤷‍♂️

Apparently, according to the human who often appears with a big black thing it shoves in my face, I’m a ‘flower crab spider’. I have no idea what a ‘crab’ is but am happy to accept it as a compliment. Yes, I’m a spider, but don’t run off screaming just yet, wait until you have heard my story about life in the oregano, and then run off screaming. 🌿

Miss Umena (Meany)

I don’t live permanently in the oregano, I started life from an egg in a nearby lavender plant and moved across when I realised that a top-class restaurant had opened up next door. I spent the early part of my life eating, growing and periodically moulting when my ‘skin’ got too tight. I’ll hang around in the oregano until the visitors stop coming and then move back to the lavender to become a parent and lay eggs before my time is up in the autumn.

Nustus (Thomisus onustus ♀︎)

Unlike most of the visiting flying insects, I am a full-time resident on the oregano when it's in flower. There are a few spiders but, because we don’t generally get on, we’re only on nodding terms when we meet up. We’re mostly from the same family that you call ‘crab spiders’ but, like lots of other families, that doesn’t mean we actually like each other.

Thomis (Thomisus onustus ♂︎)

Napoleon (Synema globosum)

My main rival for the oregano top-spot is my cousin ‘Nustus’, she has an appetite as big, if not bigger, than mine and is prone to wearing flashy colours. I’m lucky in that my natural body colour is white so I am perfectly camouflaged among the oregano flowers. Nustus, on the other hand, can’t resist a bit of colour and chooses yellow or pink and white. Seriously, yellow and pink on a bush of white flowers, what a show off? She has a suitor named ‘Thomis’ who hangs around hoping for a bit of nookie but is justifiably nervous in her vicinity. I ate my recent suitor by accident and others seem to be keeping their distance now. 

Neo (Neoscona adianta)

The third family member is ‘Napoleon’ who is a bit of an embarrassment to the rest of us. She has a ridiculous tattoo of some human’s hat on her back, the same human she got her name from apparently. She’s small and annoying, insisting on leaping on prey but mostly just scaring them off, as I’m about to pounce on them.

We also have a ‘proper’ spider who manages to stay aloof from the rest of us by dangling from a thread, or several threads, that form a net that seems to be of questionable value, it only catches the smallest of oregano visitors which seem to have to be boxed up before eating. What a palaver! Her name is ‘Neo’ but we don’t have much to do with her.

Emily (Ameles spallanzania)

Unlike Neo and Napoleon who stalk their prey, Nustus and I are ambush  predators. We lie quietly in wait under a flower head until a food delivery arrives, then reach through and grab the unsuspecting delicacy. Once our fangs pierce their neck, it’s game over and I can feast for the rest of the day.

Rhino (Rhinocoris iracundus)

I do have a couple of non-spider acquaintances who also appreciate the smorgasbord that is the oregano bush. ‘Rhino’ the assassin bug and ‘Emily’ the dwarf mantis. Rhino comes and goes, not really fixed on one plant but trying her luck all over the garden. Emily is like me, staying on the oregano until things quieten down and I’m always a bit nervous when she shows up as she’s the lioness of the oregano, quietly stalking her prey before leaping on them with quite alarming aggressiveness. We keep well away from each other. Anyway, it's about time I went off for a snack, there's a particularly tasty looking butterfly hovering over the flower next to me. Thanks for reading my story and I hope you visit the oregano soon, I'll be watching out for you. Welcome to my parlour said the spider to ............. anything that moves!! 🕷️

See this link for full details about the life on Meany's oregano bush: https://www.naturakerkyra.com/oregano-life