Goldenrod Crab Spider

• The female can change colour between white and deep yellow to match the flower she hunts on, a process taking several days one way and up to a couple of weeks the other.
• Many insects see into the ultraviolet and would spot a spider that did not match the flower, so her camouflage works in that part of the spectrum too.
• The male is far smaller and darker, and does not change colour.
• It changes colour between white and yellow to blend into the flower where it hunts, which is exceptional among European spiders. It does so by moving a liquid pigment into the cuticle.
• The change is not instant: it takes between six and twenty-five days, so it is a medium-term decision rather than reactive camouflage.
• Only the females do it. The males, much smaller and darker, do not change colour.
• It builds no hunting web: it is an ambush predator that grips its prey with the first two pairs of legs, far longer than the hind ones.
• It takes prey considerably larger than itself, including bees and butterflies.
• It was chosen as the first European Spider of the Year, in 2006.

Skeleton type

Invertebrate - chitin exoskeleton (arachnid)

Habitat and environment

Flowers of meadows, verges and gardens of Europe and North America

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Misumena vatia

Best time: Spring and summer, on white and yellow flowers