I enjoy watching these spiders. Crab spiders , well, resemble crabs. They have longer front legs and stick them out. Their bodies are flat too.

The one above is a Flower Spider. 200 species of crab spiders, including this one, live in the United States. The coolest thing about them is that they are “free-living” spiders. No webs for these guys. They just wait to ambush prey while sitting on flowers. Although their jaws (chelicerae) are very small, they have potent venom to immobilize their prey and eat at their leisure.

These spiders are able to change color over several days. Of course, I assume the color is supposed to help them blend in. Think the Goldenrod Spider (above) is on the wrong flower? What a show-off!

The crab spider (below) has the right idea.

Look for these amazing hunters on daisies and other wildflowers. (Especially if Mom or Dad tends to be a little creeped out over spiders. Check those wild bouquets!)

I am especially fond of “free-living” spiders. Jumping spiders and Wolf spiders are among them. These guys turn to face you as an adversary even with their size disadvantage!  Gotta admire their spunk 🙂

Remember: You can click on these photos (more than once) for a better look.