A goldenrod crab spider is camouflaged on a yellow flower in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Crystal Ronan
June 15, 2024 - 6:00 AM
Warm weather brings out unique insects and spiders in the Thompson-Okanagan region, and some of them have extraordinary talents.
Goldenrod crab spiders are found throughout the province but it might be hard to spot one. The little spiders have an interesting ability to change colours to blend into the flowers they perch on.
“I was just out on another walk with my daughter and she spotted another one,” said Kamloops resident Chelsea Sharpe. “It might actually be the same one that has changed colour, but we always see them on these pink flowers when we are out walking on our property. They’re really cool spiders.”
Instead of making webs to catch prey, goldenrod crab spiders wait on flowers to attack bugs, according to Spider Identifications.
The diet and environment impact the spider’s colour which can vary from yellow to pale green to white. Over the course of a few days the spiders can change colour to better match the flower they're sitting on.
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“I guess I don’t really know much about them other than they really like the arnica flowers,” said Kamloops gardener Crystal Roman who provided iNFOnews.ca with photos. “I’m sure I have a picture of a white one somewhere.”
A goldenrod crab spider perches on a bright flower in Kamloops.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Shellsea Sharpe
The spiders help control insect populations and help pollinate flowers and do not pose a threat to humans.
They can be found all over North America on flowers, shrubs and leaves in grasslands and meadows, city gardens and wetlands.
If you snap a photo of an interesting insect, send it to news@infonews.ca.
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