I noticed that small samaras were starting to emerge out of the flowers of the bigleaf maple, and I went over to have a closer look. I saw a dead bee in the flower cluster, and I realized that a spider was holding on to the end of it.
The goldenrod spider doesn’t spin a web to catch its prey, it uses the tactic of camouflage. It patiently waits on a flower to ambush an unsuspecting insect, such as a bee foraging for nectar. It has a unique ability to change colors depending on which flower it is hiding on. It can either be white like the petals of a daisy or it can turn yellow to blend in with the flowers of a goldenrod. The process of changing colors isn’t instantaneous, it takes days to accomplish.
It is also known as goldenrod crab spider because it holds its legs out to the side like a crab as it waits on a flower.
Goldenrod Spider (Misumena vatia)
