There are over 6,000 species of jumping spiders (Salticidae). They are the largest family of spiders and have some of the best vision among arthropods. They vary greatly in size, 0.04–0.98 (1 mm to 25mm), and have 4 front-facing eyes and big, furry front legs.

I tend to walk briskly in the other direction when I see spiders, but for some reason, I like jumping spiders in our backyard. Having said that, we only have a few very tiny species, and I'm not sure I would feel the same way encountering an inch-long spider that jumps.

We have two Gingersnap roses in our backyard, and one Saturday in July, I was watering my flowers when I saw what looked like a tiny, metallic blue "bug" at the time. I ran into the house and grabbed my camera. Luckily, the spider was still on the rose petal. I took several photographs until he finally decided to take cover within the depths of the flower.

I downloaded the photos, started to review them and realized he didn't look metallic blue at all, but regardless, he was very handsome and a species I had not seen before (or since).