An up close and personal look at a flower-hunting predator, Misumena vatia: The Goldenrod Crab Spider. Discover its ecology, hunting methods, what we know (and only thought we knew), and more.

Unless otherwise credited, all photos and footage are my own.

Joe Lapp's excellent write-up on differentiating flower-hunting crab spiders:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/38099#...

Check out the channels of some folks who helped me out:
@mywildbackyard
@thewildlifebrothers

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https://spidersinyourhouse.myshopify.com

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https://www.patreon.com/user?u=86046992

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https://x.com/travismcenery

Want to learn how to identify LOTS of spiders? Check out Sarah Rose's "Spiders of North America", the first book I reach for when identifying spiders (I earn a small commission if you purchase through these links).
If purchasing from the United States: https://amzn.to/3OGznzN
If purchasing from Canada: https://amzn.to/44Wz5dR

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:14 Identification
8:35 Diet-induced Colour Change
9:39 Biteyness
11:18 Range and Distribution
12:24 How They Hunt
19:41 Heat Tolerance
20:46 Colour Change
22:20 How the Change Happens
27:33 Why They Change Colour
30:46 Day to Day Life of a Crab Spider
32:20 Dating and Mating
37:27 How They Will Affect You
38:07 Final Thoughts