THE SPIDER AND THE FLY
‘Will you walk into my parlour?’ said the Spider to the Fly,
”Tis the prettiest parlour that ever did you spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are there.’
‘Oh no, no,’ said the little Fly, ‘to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne’er come down again.’
by Mary Howitt
See the white blob in the middle of the pink yarrow. When I first saw it, I thought it was a petal until it moved. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a white spider, a rather large white spider with dark pink stripes down its sides. Of course I was fascinated, took more pictures and walked away. I came back a couple of hours later to see if it was still around. Here is what I saw…..
So of course I had to know more about this spider. It is a Goldenrod Spider a species of crab spider also known as Misumena vatia or goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider. It is the largest and best known flower spider because you can find it hunting on flowers especially goldenrod flowers. They are commonly found in North America including southern Canada.
Description
When you see these spiders they will either be yellow or white, depending on the flower you find them on. They choose flowers that are heavily visited by pollinators such as Joe pye, daisy, milkweed, Queen Anne’s lace, dandelion, black-eyed susan, goldenrod, echinacea and yarrow to name a few. They say the spiders are virtually impossible to spot on yellow flowers. And these spiders can stay motionless for long periods of time as I have witnessed.
Males in early summer are quite small (5mm) and easily overlooked, but females can grow up to 10 mm (excluding legs). The female is the one
most often seen with red streaks on her abdomen. The male is dark reddish-brown, with a whitish abdomen and dark red streaks. I had another chance encounter a week later where I saw the male and female together (picture right).
These spiders have good eyesight and use it when changing color. They do this by secreting a yellow pigment into the outer cell layer of their body. If the spider stays longer on a white/pink plant, the yellow pigment is then excreted. It takes the spider much longer to change to yellow, because it has to produce the yellow pigment, usually 10 and 25 days. Changing to white takes about six days.
Goldenrod Spiders do not build webs. They walk forwards, backwards, or sideways. Their legs are uneven, the two front ones being bigger than the rest. Even though this species of spider uses camouflage as its primary defense, it will bite as well. Its bite is not harmful to humans but can produce irritation.
Reproduction
When I spied a female a week later on a different pink flower, I suddenly saw a smaller brown spider with a small white abdomen, the male. Before I knew it they were mating. The male searches many flowers until he finds a female. He then climbs over her head onto her underside to inseminate her.
After mating, female Goldenrod Spiders will spin a silk sac to hold their eggs, bend the leaf over the sac and wrap more silk around it. I have yet to find this sack close to where the 2 spiders mated.
The female usually dies before the young spiderlings hatch, and they are then on their own from the moment they are born. The young spiders reach the size of 5 mm by autumn.
Food
Goldenrod Spiders eat their prey by hunting on the ground, or by ambushing them on a flower. They especially like bees,wasps, moths, yellow jackets, hornets, hummingbird moths, cabbage whites, clouded sulphur and painted lady butterflies and flies found visiting flowers. They also will attack grasshoppers and other plant-eating insects. Wish they ate Japanese beetles. They are said to be helpful to gardeners, and spiders in the garden are a sign of a healthy garden.
These spiders have small jaws which contain venom allowing them to attack prey much larger than themselves. It will grab its prey with its front legs
and inject the venom. It then sucks all the body fluid from its prey. The outer body of the prey is left looking undamaged; just a stiff lifeless shell.
Goldenrod spiders do have predators. Birds, frogs and other insects hunt these beauties. Some of the predators include: rabid wolf spider, garden centipede, Carolina chickadee, Leopard frog and Downy woodpecker.
I do love these impromptu encounters in the garden. This eight legged chance meeting continues to fascinate me as I search for more of these spiders throughout the season. If I ever do see a yellow one, I’ll be sure to post a picture.
The Spider
Watch the busy spider,
He’s helpful as can be,
Eating insects all day long
Now they won’t bite me.
© 2012, Donna Donabella. All rights reserved. This article is the property of BeautifulWildlifeGarden.com If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Donna Donabella
I’ll keep my eye out for this spider. Anything that eats yellow jackets is a friend of mine.
Mary Pellerito recently posted..Weather
I love just looking at this spider Mary. It is quite beautiful. Let me know if you see her.
Donna Donabella recently posted..Grocery Gardening
Donna, thanks for the information and photos. I enjoy seeing this spider in the backyard and after your blog will appreciate it more than ever.
Betty Hall recently posted..Royal catchfly – another drought-resistant native
Well thank you Betty. She is a majestic spider and how lucky that she visits your garden. I can’t wait to encounter her once the Susans and goldenrod open.
Donna Donabella recently posted..Grocery Gardening
What an interesting post ! I have learnt some more about the yellow crab spider in my garden that I have been watching over the past 3 weeks. I have seen it devouring numerous insects including a bee, but it has suddenly disappeared.
Garden Girl recently posted..Crab Spider
I would bet she has gone to lay her eggs and die. I would love to see the spiderlings.
Donna Donabella recently posted..Grocery Gardening
Great post..I am headed out to take a look for this spider..great post Donna…
Rambling Woods recently posted..Nature Notes (#166)~I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright.~Henry David Thoreau
Thx Michelle…let me know what you find.
Donna Donabella recently posted..Grocery Gardening
That is one fascinating creature I can count on finding in my garden if I look. Mine are mostly on the daisies.
Diana of Elephant’s Eye recently posted..July garden catch up
Diana I have so many daisies and they are not on them. I need more time to look for them, but I really would love to see a yellow one.
Donna Donabella recently posted..Grocery Gardening
Wow, I have seen so many spiders in my life but I haven’t seen a white spider. Really it looks amazing and beautiful too.
Carl Watson recently posted..Are Bats Sharing Your House With You?
Carl, she truly is an amazing spider…look for her on white or pink flowers blending in or on yellow flowers where she can change color…any flower where you see lots of pollinators. I love searching for her or her offspring.
I have seen a female here many times, but have yet to see the male. I’m sure in awhile when the goldenrod blooms you will find your yellow spiders. They may be very babies who got their start while you watched! This is a great post!!!
Becky recently posted..A Serious Breach In Garden Security
Thank you Becky. I had no idea what I was witnessing and what a wonderful opportunity…You know I will be inspecting those yellow blooms in a month!
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Grocery Gardening
Interesting, Donna, I don’t think I have ever seen a white spider, esp with pink stripes!
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
Glad you enjoyed it Kathy…they are pretty plentiful so perhaps you might spy one.
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Grocery Gardening
I’ve seen this spiders in flowers lying in wait to pounce on unsuspecting insect visitors – you are right, they are very hard to spot and look like flower petals. Interesting that the males look so different than the females, you would never think they were the same species…thanks for the info, I will look at these more closely next time I see them!
Ellen Sousa recently posted..Mulch – Use What You’ve Got!
So glad you liked the post Ellen…
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Perfection
WOW Donna!
What a beautiful spider. I’ve seen teeny tiny yellow crab spiders. Now I need to be on the lookout for that ivory beauty with the gorgeous stripes. Great photo captures!
Loret T. Setters recently posted..As one disappears another moves in
Thanks Loret. I would say it was divine providence that I came across her and one keen inquisitive eye.
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Perfection