I first noticed this Misumena vatia protecting its egg case sometime in early September. The eggs case was formed using a leaf on a large Rugosa rose bush. I didn't think much of it as first, but then noticed the spider again in mid-September. I began watching and occasionally photographing it. It never seemed to move away from the case, and it never seemed to hunt or eat. After a time, it became quite obvious that the spider was gradually wasting away. One curious thing that I discovered as I watched the spider from day to day, was that there was a very brilliant green-coloured grasshopper that sat on an adjacent leaf, day after day. When I photographed the spide, the grasshopper would stay very still, or sometimes creep in among the rose leaves, but would soon return to sit on the same leaf about 15 cm. from the spider with the egg case. This odd "companionship" continued for at least 3 or 4 weeks.