Crab spider
With its long front legs arranged in a crab-like fashion, the crab spider is the most common ‘flower spider’. The female is larger and most often to be found snacking on bees, moths or flies.
Crab spiders don’t spin webs to trap insects but instead use ambush and camouflage to capture prey. Whether a flower is yellow, white, pale green or pink, female crab spiders can change their colour to match. If you see them spinning a web, it’s to hold their eggs.
Misumena vatia
Photo credit: Denise Pichler