The oregano plant is a perennial species in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region where the fresh oregano leaves are used as a herb to flavour food. Often, the flowers are removed as soon as they show to make more leaves grow, but we let the flowers on our oregano bush bloom fully during the month of May. The flower arrival begins a mad scramble in the insect world for the pollen and nectar they produce and an 'Oregano Community' develops on the bush. The community consists of visiting flying insects which are after the pollen and nectar from the white oregano flowers, and a variety of residents which catch and eat them. Butterflies, moths, bees, wasps, flies and beetles frequent the oregano on a daily basis and are prey to the spiders, mantids and assassin bugs that lie in wait for them. By far the most successful hunters are the crab spiders whose ferocity is second to none, as many of the photos below will testify.