Posts Tagged: crab spiders

Gotta Love Those Crab Spiders!

Gotta love those crab spiders! We've seen them ambushing prey, eating prey and looking for more prey. They're members of the Thomisidae family of spiders. They can move sideways and backwards.   And they excel at...

A crab spider nails a lygus bug, a pest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider nails a lygus bug, a pest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This green bottle fly met its fate, compliments of a crab spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This green bottly fly met its fate, compliments of a crab spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider tucked inside a zinnia blossom awaits prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider tucked inside a zinnia blossom awaits prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Spider Alert! Meet a Little Charmer

Spider alert! Spider alert! Some folks request a "spider alert" because they cringe in horror when they see an image of the eight-legged critter. Even a little charmer like this one? On Tuesday morning, July 7, we watched a crab spider claim  a...

"Well, hello there!" A mature male crab spider, likely a Missumessus species (Thomisidae, crab spider) as identified by UC Davis Professor Jason Bond, peers at the camera from his Tithonia post. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Well, hello there!" A mature male crab spider, likely a Missumessus species (Thomisidae, crab spider) as identified by UC Davis Professor Jason Bond, peers at the camera from his Tithonia post. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Hey, I'll pose for a side view." A male crab spider scuttles around on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Hey, I'll pose for a side view." A male crab spider scuttles around on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Is this my best side?" The male crab spider strikes a "pose" for the camera. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Is this my best side?" The male crab spider strikes a "pose" for the camera. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Watch me, I shall do my vanishing act!" The crab spider moves out of the photographer's view. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

"Watch me, I shall do my vanishing act!" The crab spider moves out of the photographer's view. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Everybody Eats in the Pollinator Garden

Everybody eats in the pollinator garden. That includes crab spiders that sprawl atop a flower, flatten themselves, and wait, oh, so patiently, for dinner. We've seen them nab green bottle flies, sweat bees and honey bees. They pounce, inject a killer...

A crab spider, on a Mexican sunflower, eating a green bottle fly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider, on a Mexican sunflower, eating a green bottle fly. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider, on a blanketflower, eating a female Halictus tripartitus, as identified by Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider, on a blanketflower, eating a female Halictus tripartitus, as identified by Robbin Thorp, UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider, on a spent blanketflower (Gaillardia) eating a honey bee. It is joined by "freeloader flies," family Milichildae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A crab spider, on a spent blanketflower (Gaillardia) eating a honey bee. It is joined by "freeloader flies," family Milichildae. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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