Malcolm Brownsword writes:
In the last week of May, I discovered an uncommon arachnid in my garden. I had seen this species forty years ago on the Costa Blanca and about ten years ago at BBOWT’s Hartslock reserve on the flower spike of a Pyramidal Orchid. It’s the Flower Crab Spider, Misumena vatia.
It is said to be the rarest of 17 species of crab spider to be found in the UK. The female is about 10mm across and usually white or yellow, but it is capable of changing colour to match its surroundings. The male is only 4mm across and is usually black and white.
Like many other spiders, they don’t spin webs to trap insects. When hunting they use their camouflage to great effect to stay hidden on their prey and then pounce. At the time of writing this crab spider had been on the same flower for about five days, in which time it had captured some type of bee.
Malcolm Brownsword, 29 May 2023.
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