Featured in the group Arachnids

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EXIF:
Taken with a Canon EOS 400D Digital.

• Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
• ISO Speed: 100
• Aperture: f/5.6
• Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows
• Metering Mode: Average
• Focal Length: 55 mm
• Exposure Program: Manual
• Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
• Flash: Flash did not fire
• White Balance: Manual
• YCbCr Positioning: Co-Sited
• Exposure Mode: Manual

_A LARGER view to see more in detail…
(Long side is only 1024 here)_

Yellow Spider “Misumena vatia” Europe spider of the Year 2006

Misumena vatia
Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider with holarctic distribution. In North America, where it is the largest and best-known flower spider, it is called the <b>goldenrod crab spider</b>, because it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays in the autumn.

Young males in the early summer may be quite small and easily overlooked, but females can grow up to 10 mm (without legs); males reach 5 mm at most.

These spiders may be yellow or white, depending on the flower in which they are hunting. Especially younger females, which may hunt on a variety of flowers such as daisies and sunflowers, may change color "at will". Older females require large amounts of relatively large prey to produce the best possible clutch of eggs. They are therefore, most commonly found in goldenrod, a bright yellow flower which attracts large numbers of insects, especially in autumn. It is often very hard even for a searching human to recognize one of these spiders on a yellow flower.