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Goldenrod Spider (Misumena
vatia) |
Credit & Copyright: Dr. Bruce G. Marcot
Explanation:
No, this
is not a 1950s B-movie monster. It's a crab
spider, about as big as your thumbnail (but some are larger),
lurking in the forest floor in the Klamath
Mountains of northwestern California. 
Crab spiders generally do not spin webs ... they wait in ambush for their insect prey. Often, crab spiders blend into their environment, such as a pure white form I also photographed hiding in the flowering head of bear grass in the Klamath Mountains. Crab spiders -- not to be confused with spider crabs! -- are beneficial to people, as they consume mosquitoes, flies, and other pests. |
Next week's picture: Of Spots and Antlers
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