Goldenrod Flower Crab Spider playing dead by rolling up in a little ball.  I never get sick of finding these beauties. 

Here is a photo of Kim the day I found her, a year ago.  Notice the pretty marbled pattern on her abdomen?  Black Widow females don’t get that trademark black glossy body until they reach sexual maturity.

Here is the very first Kim post.

Can you see the difference??  Laying eggs has totally deflated my chubby globular fatty, Black Widow, Kim into a little deflated skinny girl!  She even looks a little wrinkly!

Maybe that little orange thing is her eggs…it kinda looks like there are eggs in there.

I’m pretty sure this is the actual egg sac that Kim, my Black Widow has laid.  It’s small and a little ball of silk.  Maybe a fertilized one would be more robust? 

Aw, Kim tending to her babies (even though its probably not fertilized).  So, what’s the actually egg sac?  The ball of fuzz to the left?  And what’s that dangling smaller orange ball? 

My Black Widow laid an egg sac!!  Kim looks all skinny! 

WHAT do I do?  I have read that if I remove it she may waste away and die.  I am assuming it is not viable since she is in a jar with a mesh lid and I doubt any males have gotten in.  Also, she was immature when I found her over a year ago so I doubt she’s been holding sperm. 

Apparently, she may get aggressive around her eggs so I’ll have to be careful when feeding her.  She’s usually so skitish and shy so I’ll have to remember to be careful. 

Anyone have any pointers?  Or advice?  I’d rather leave it be, if possible. 

I shall go catch her something to eat and take some photos for you!

Sometimes my favorite bug finds are those I least expect.  I was driving home from school and this adorable Jumping Spider in the family Salticidae was just hoping along on my dashboard!  Luckily for me, I had a little bug-catching container right in my purse on the passenger seat.  I scooped her up and brought her home for a photo.  I am rather proud of myself because I believe I correctly identified her as a Black Jumper in the genus Sassacus.  Here is a very close match and better photo on bugguide.

“Oh gosh I feel like I am bothering you all the time with spiders, I’m sorry HAHA! But do you have any idea what this little guy is? It’s one my friend found. I really don’t have a clue, the abdomen shape reminds me of those cat-faced orb weavers but the other characteristics don’t really match up? Any ideas? Thank you so much as always!”- starberryswirls

You are not bothering me at all!!!  I LOVE the ID practice!  Fortunately, I was able to ID this beauty immediately because I often see these Flower Crab Spiders on the wildflowers outside of my house.  Your Crab Spider may more specifically be the Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia, here is a very close match on bugguide.  These spiders are ambush predators, they are almost invisible on the flowers they live on, patiently waiting for a pollinator to get too close.  They are often yellow or patterned but I personally have always thought the white variety was the prettiest.  Keep the submissions coming!

“Hey there! I’ve been having this type of spider living in the windowsill of my basement for a few years now and wanted to share them with you. Pretty sure they’re a type of cellar spider, perhaps a pholcus phalangioides specifically? I hear they actually eat some of the more venomous spiders, do you know if that’s true? In any case, they keep my basement pretty bug free and are welcome friends in my home.”- starberryswirls

What a lovely photo!  I do believe your ID is correct based on that dark spot on the cephalothorax, apparently this species is sometimes known as a Scull Spider because of that marking.  I know that Cellar Spiders will take down anything they can that gets trapped in their webs which may include other spiders, even more venomous ones.  Their long legs allow them to quickly wrap their prey in silk from a distance, once securely wrapped they can then inject a bite.  Cellar spiders are very beneficial, however, I don’t really see the fact that they kill more venomous species part of their benefit as all spiders are beneficial, even Recluses and Widows.  Nonetheless, Cellar Spiders should be a welcomed site in your garage or cellar.  I am glad that you see it that way too!