Our Prime Minister has seen fit to reduce our risk to Level 2½ as of midnight yesterday. This is a great relief for us, as we are planning a family trip to the South Island later this week—but more about that soon. In the meantime, we are still under some restrictions and we will continue to observe them meticulously. Continuing with my archive project, today I’m bringing you an image that I made on this date six years ago in our garden in Omaha. 
The harvestman (its other common name is daddy longlegs) belongs to the order Opiliones, and is one of the eastern variety, probably Leibonum aldrichii. It’s not a spider, of course, because—among other things—it has only one body segment and only two eyes, perched up on its body like a pair of little spotlights. The plant it settled on was a Coleus.
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krikitarts 
I did not realize until I read your post that daddy longlegs is not a spider. Thank you for that lovely photo!
It’s a very common misconception, and a very understandable one. You’re very welcome!
I don’t think I’ve seen that color in a Coleus. The orange and purple combination is as pleasing as the daddy longlegs.
We just loved that plant while we were in Omaha; it was an integral and beloved part of our garden while we were there.
Nice shot and I, also, love the colour of that Coleus and haven’t seen it before.
There are many varieties and I’m not sure which one that was, but the color was really something in which one could lose oneself, if one weren’t careful.
Beautiful image and composition, Gary! :)
Thanks, Adrian!
You got me wondering about the origin of the name Opiliones. Here’s what I found in Wikipedia: “The Swedish naturalist and arachnologist Carl Jakob Sundevall (1801–1875) honored the naturalist Martin Lister (1638–1712) by adopting Lister’s term Opiliones for this order, known in Lister’s days as ‘harvest spiders’ or ‘shepherd spiders’, from Latin opilio, ‘shepherd’; Lister characterized three species from England (although not formally describing them, being a pre-Linnean work).”
I believe I had looked that up at one point too, but I’d forgotten it. Thanks for the reminder!
I wanted facts, not just an opinion of Opilion.
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I like the contrasting colours and the fine detail.
Thanks, Belinda, aren’t those colors just wonderfully outrageous?!
I just became a little fonder of Coleus…and Opiliones. I certainly see plenty of Daddy Longlegs and have never really been happy with any of the images I’ve made of them. I’d be happy with this one.
I think what you are experiencing is the new normal in most countries until there is a vaccine…up and down with the threat numbers. Sadly here we will continue to have large numbers as long as the current administration won’t get serious about a national strategy…aside from “it is what it is”.
It’s more than sad; it’s absolutely tragic. And the Sturgis rally went on as planned, and I think there was hardly a mask to be seen among them. And we heard today that Minnesota participant just died of C-19. I shudder to think how many of them may have brought it back home with themselves.
I didn’t know harvestmen weren’t classed as spiders either! We have lots here but the body isn’t as big. A coleus was one of the very first house plants I had! I like the colour of this one.
There are some really strange ones here, and I hope to come across a few as we get out and out a bit more. I’m keeping my fingers (and my chelicerae, in my imagination) crossed.
That’s good news! I’m not sure what the number signifies but I can tell it’s better than before. ;-) How nice to be planning a trip. I’m hoping we will get there at some point in the next month or two.
I’m certain that is a fond hope with so many just now. I’m hoping everyone follows through with all the recommended precautions–pretty much everyone I see here seems to be.