Goldenrod Crab Spider
Description: Male is brown with a white or yellow abdomen. The much larger females are yellow, white, or pale green with red, orange or pink stripes on either side of the abdomen. Some females have similar colored spots between the stripes, stripes are not apparent in juvenile females which are uniform in color. Rarely an adult will remain uniform in color or just have a small spot of color on the anterior end of the abdomen.
Web: None, does not build web; instead, it hunts on flowers waiting to ambush prey. Often ties petals together with silk to make a hideout for the spider to sit.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, lawns, forest edges and almost anywhere there are suitable flowers. Almost any flower will suffice but Goldenrod, Ox-eye daisies, Wild Carrot, Yarrow, Black-Eyed Susan, Wild Mustard, Dandelions, and various tree and shrub flowers are preferred. Goldenrod Crab spiders can change their base color slowly to match the color of the flower they are hunting on.
Diet: Bees, butterflies, flies, and other flower visiting insects. Using its camouflage aggressively, it ambushes insects by restraining them with the elongated front four legs and bites them. The bite contains a venom that subdues the insect once and begins to digest it.
Eggs: The female lays her eggs in a folded leaf, bound together with silk.
Web: None, does not build web; instead, it hunts on flowers waiting to ambush prey. Often ties petals together with silk to make a hideout for the spider to sit.
Habitat: Roadsides, fields, lawns, forest edges and almost anywhere there are suitable flowers. Almost any flower will suffice but Goldenrod, Ox-eye daisies, Wild Carrot, Yarrow, Black-Eyed Susan, Wild Mustard, Dandelions, and various tree and shrub flowers are preferred. Goldenrod Crab spiders can change their base color slowly to match the color of the flower they are hunting on.
Diet: Bees, butterflies, flies, and other flower visiting insects. Using its camouflage aggressively, it ambushes insects by restraining them with the elongated front four legs and bites them. The bite contains a venom that subdues the insect once and begins to digest it.
Eggs: The female lays her eggs in a folded leaf, bound together with silk.