Detail of a Bright Yellow Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) on a Dandelion Flower in a Devon garden with a captured Hoverfly.
I have occasionally found these colourful spiders hiding in flowers in the surrounding countryside. I was delighted to find one had taken up residence in a dandelion flower in my garden and made the most of this fantastic opportunity! These spiders vary in colour from white to yellow according to their background flora. This colour can be changed very quickly and at will by secreting a colour pigment to the outer body cell layer. They occur throughout Europe and are more commonly found in the USA where they are known as the goldenrod (or flower) crab spider. The female is larger than the male with a body size of up to 10mm compared to the male at 5mm. Because of her camouflage she is able to catch her prey without expending a great deal of energy which she needs to lay a large clutch of eggs.
Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: Great Torrington, Devon, England.
Photo credit: © John Insull / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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