06/24/2026
Backyard Bug Buddy: The Flower Crab Spider
I am a former Arachnophobe turned Entomophile. Okay, "Almost Former Arachnophobe."
To illustrate my point, the first time I saw a Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia), I was a little girl lying in an old hayfield. On a red clover blossom beside me sat what appeared to be a tiny purple spider inches from my face. I screamed and ran the length of a football field back to our log cabin, without stopping, and slammed the door behind me! Of course, no one believed me.. a purple spider sounded far fetched. Sort of.
Decades later, I spotted what looked like a pink spider on my peonies, a purple one among the iris flowers, and a greenish one hiding in the grass. Was there no escape from spiders? What scared me most was they blended into my favorite flowers! Dare I take a whiff?! Come to find out, they were all adult female Flower Crab Spiders.
Here are some interesting tid bits..
These brave little huntresses slowly change between white and yellow using pigments that help them blend into the flowers they hunt from. When they turn white, they're almost translucent and seem to take on the color of the flower they're sitting in, hence the purplish clover spider from my youth.
Unlike many spiders, they don't spin webs to trap their prey. Instead, they sneakily ambush harmful garden pests by remaining still, camouflage, and darting sideways like crabs. Chomp, chomp!
Side note, every Flower Crab Spider I've encountered seems... crabby, waving her arms at me and charging as if to say, "Go on now, git!" As if I'd ever eat a bug, yuck, and certainly not a crustacean shaped spider!
Sometimes they hunt bees and butterflies, so they are often misunderstood or even villainized. Truthfully, they aren't a major threat to pollinators like pesticides, disease, and environmental changes. Honestly, they mostly eat harmful garden bugs that destroy plants, and that's a great thing!
Be warned though, if you lean in for a flower sniffin' good time, don't be surprised if this huntress gives you a tiny bop with her crabby little arms. They are very much not afraid of you and will chase you down, (speaking from experience) but please avoid crushing her. Just run, you could use the cardio. 🌸🕷️💛
Anyway, this creepy little bug is beautifully designed for her place in creation... even if she is... let's be real, a little spooky! Even the smallest, creepiest crawlies have a purpose in God's intricate design. So be kind to them, and chances are, if you ignore them, they will ignore you. If you're an "arachnophobe" like I used to be, observe this fascinating little crabby backyard bug buddy a bit before fleeing. You may end up less fearful and more in awe.
Hallow Waters Photography LLC
