Goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia)

The goldenrod crab spider is a spider in the family Thomisidae that is not dangerous to people. GBIF holds 1,847 licensed U.S. records of it; it reaches our listing threshold in 29 states, most of all Washington (315), Vermont (230) and California (228). Its observation records peak in June.

29states on record

1,847licensed U.S. records

Junpeak month, observations

Novenomous to people

Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider found in Europe and North America. In North America, it is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, as it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays and milkweed plants. They are called crab spiders because of their unusual ability to walk sideways as well as forwards and backwards.

From Wikipedia: Misumena vatia, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bitten? Call 911 for a venomous snakebite or any bite with trouble breathing. For advice on any bite or sting, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24/7, U.S.-wide). Do not cut the wound, suck out venom or use a tourniquet. General information, not medical advice. Do not handle or try to identify a snake or spider by this page; if unsure, treat it as venomous.

Is the goldenrod crab spider poisonous or venomous?

Not in any medically significant way. Like almost all spiders the goldenrod crab spider (family Thomisidae) has venom for its prey, but it is not a widow or recluse, the two U.S. groups whose bites need medical attention.

Which states have the goldenrod crab spider?

Records are spread over 29 states; the top three, Washington, Vermont and California, hold 42% of them. It is the most recorded spider of all in Vermont and Maine.

Source: GBIF, read 2026-09-29. A state is listed once GBIF holds at least 10 records of the species there under any license; Records counts only CC0 and CC BY records, so a listed state can show fewer.
#	State	Records	Share of state spiders	Rank in state
1	Washington	315	7.9%	2nd of 157
2	Vermont	230	14.8%	1st of 74
3	California	228	0.5%	35th of 309
4	Oregon	206	7.3%	4th of 88
5	Maine	100	10.6%	1st of 297
6	Alaska	98	0.4%	43rd of 280
7	New Hampshire	94	6.8%	2nd of 72
8	Minnesota	93	3.1%	5th of 145
9	Michigan	67	2.8%	7th of 122
10	Montana	60	2.7%	3rd of 75
11	Colorado	57	1.4%	11th of 378
12	Wisconsin	55	1.8%	8th of 149
13	New York	49	0.8%	32nd of 149
14	Idaho	40	7.7%	4th of 56
15	Massachusetts	32	0.7%	33rd of 189
16	Utah	25	1.0%	13th of 97
17	Pennsylvania	22	0.3%	54th of 164
18	Wyoming	15	7.0%	3rd of 68
19	New Mexico	12	0.5%	29th of 247
20	North Carolina	8	0.1%	93rd of 184
21	West Virginia	7	0.9%	23rd of 90
22	Arizona	4	0.1%	91st of 162
23	Connecticut	4	0.4%	42nd of 86
24	South Dakota	3	1.6%	10th of 29
25	Maryland	2	0.0%	129th of 153
26	Rhode Island	2	1.2%	21st of 53
27	Virginia	2	0.0%	161st of 176
28	Nevada	0	—	—
29	Ohio	0	—	—

When is the goldenrod crab spider seen?

Across the U.S., observation records of the goldenrod crab spider run mostly May through September, peaking in June with 30% of them. Almost none are from December to February.

Season by state

Among states whose main season falls within one calendar year, it starts earliest in March (California) and latest in June (Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin). The most common peak month is June, shared by Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Montana and 3 more.

Source: GBIF observation records (CC0, CC BY) by state and month, read 2026-09-29. States with fewer than 30 observation records with a month are left out.
State	Main season	Peak month	Observation records
Washington	April through September	June	314
Vermont	May through August	July	230
California	March through September	June	222
Oregon	April through September	June	206
Maine	May through August	June	100
Minnesota	June through August	July	93
New Hampshire	May through August	July	93
Michigan	June through September	June	67
Montana	May through August	June	57
Colorado	June through August	June	56
Wisconsin	June through August	June	52
Alaska	May through August	June	51
New York	May through August	July	49
Idaho	May through July	July	40
Massachusetts	May through August	July	32

Where the goldenrod crab spider is recorded in each state

Washington

Washington holds 315 licensed records, the 2nd most recorded of 157 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Washington run mostly April through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from King County, Pierce County and Thurston County. Next come Snohomish County (17) and Clallam County (14).

Vermont

Vermont holds 230 licensed records, the most recorded of 74 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Vermont run mostly May through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Chittenden County, Washington County and Windsor County. Next come Orange County (20) and Bennington County (12).

California

California holds 228 licensed records, the 35th most recorded of 309 spiders listed there. Its observation records in California run mostly March through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from San Mateo County, Sonoma County and Marin County. Next come San Francisco County (19) and Monterey County (11).

Oregon

Oregon holds 206 licensed records, the 4th most recorded of 88 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Oregon run mostly April through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Lane County, Multnomah County and Benton County. Next come Clackamas County (16) and Columbia County (13).

Maine

Maine holds 100 licensed records, the most recorded of 297 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Maine run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Hancock County, Washington County and Lincoln County. Next come Cumberland County (11) and York County (9).

Alaska

Alaska holds 98 licensed records, the joint 43rd most recorded of 280 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Alaska run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Kenai Peninsula Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area. Next come Anchorage Municipality (16) and Matanuska-Susitna Borough (11).

New Hampshire

New Hampshire holds 94 licensed records, the 2nd most recorded of 72 spiders listed there. Its observation records in New Hampshire run mostly May through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Cheshire County, Grafton County and Sullivan County. Next come Hillsborough County (17) and Rockingham County (8).

Minnesota

Minnesota holds 93 licensed records, the 5th most recorded of 145 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Minnesota run mostly June through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from St. Louis County, Lake County and Hubbard County. Next come Carlton County (9) and Hennepin County (8).

Michigan

Michigan holds 67 licensed records, the 7th most recorded of 122 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Michigan run mostly June through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Schoolcraft County, Charlevoix County and Leelanau County. Next come Mackinac County (5) and Houghton County (3).

Montana

Montana holds 60 licensed records, the 3rd most recorded of 75 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Montana run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Missoula County, Ravalli County and Flathead County. Next come Fergus County (4) and Glacier County (4).

Colorado

Colorado holds 57 licensed records, the 11th most recorded of 378 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Colorado run mostly June through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Larimer County, Boulder County and Rio Blanco County. Next come Clear Creek County (3) and Gilpin County (3).

Wisconsin

Wisconsin holds 55 licensed records, the joint 8th most recorded of 149 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Wisconsin run mostly June through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Door County, Dane County and Juneau County. Next come Fond du Lac County (3) and Bayfield County (3).

New York

New York holds 49 licensed records, the 32nd most recorded of 149 spiders listed there. Its observation records in New York run mostly May through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Franklin County, Hamilton County and Greene County. Next come St. Lawrence County (3) and Warren County (3).

Idaho

Idaho holds 40 licensed records, the 4th most recorded of 56 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Idaho run mostly May through July, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Latah County, Custer County and Kootenai County. Next come Valley County (3) and Cassia County (2).

Massachusetts

Massachusetts holds 32 licensed records, the joint 33rd most recorded of 189 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Massachusetts run mostly May through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Worcester County, Middlesex County and Essex County. Next come Franklin County (3) and Plymouth County (2).

Top counties in the U.S.

Source: GBIF licensed records by county (GADM level 2), read 2026-09-29.
#	County	State	Records	Share of U.S.
1	Chittenden County	Vermont	120	6.5%
2	King County	Washington	120	6.5%
3	Pierce County	Washington	40	2.2%
4	San Mateo County	California	38	2.1%
5	Lane County	Oregon	38	2.1%
6	Multnomah County	Oregon	38	2.1%
7	Sonoma County	California	36	1.9%
8	Hancock County	Maine	28	1.5%
9	Cheshire County	New Hampshire	27	1.5%
10	Kenai Peninsula Borough	Alaska	23	1.2%
11	Washington County	Vermont	22	1.2%
12	Latah County	Idaho	21	1.1%
13	Benton County	Oregon	21	1.1%
14	Grafton County	New Hampshire	20	1.1%
15	Windsor County	Vermont	20	1.1%

How recent are the goldenrod crab spider records?

Most of what is known about the goldenrod crab spider is recent: 91% of dated U.S. records were made in 2017–2026, and half date from 2023 or later. The oldest dated record is from 1933; the busiest year was 2025, with 356 records.

Source: GBIF licensed U.S. records with a year, read 2026-09-29.
Decade	Records	Share
1930s	1	0.1%
1960s	2	0.1%
1980s	9	0.5%
1990s	13	0.7%
2000s	34	1.8%
2010s	308	16.2%
2020s	1,529	80.6%

Species recorded in the same counties

Of the 200 counties where the goldenrod crab spider is most recorded, 102 are also top counties for the sixspotted orbweaver, more than for any other spider. None of its closest neighbors is venomous.

Source: GBIF licensed records, top counties per species and state, read 2026-09-29.
Species	Shared counties
Sixspotted orbweaver	102
Bronze jumper	86
Zebra spider	86
Dark fishing spider	62
Bold jumper	60
Black-and-yellow argiope	59
Garden spider	58
Nursery web spider	50

Other members of the family Thomisidae with profiles here: Whitebanded crab spider, American green crab spider, Flower crab spider, Black-banded crab spider, Celer crab spider and Tan crab spider.

Whitebanded crab spiderMisumenoides formosipes

American green crab spiderMisumessus oblongus

Flower crab spiderMecaphesa asperata

Black-banded crab spiderSynema parvulum

Celer crab spiderMecaphesa celer

Tan crab spiderXysticus ferox

GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.

About these numbers

A species is listed for a state once GBIF holds at least 10 records of it located inside the state by coordinates, under any license. Every count, share, month and county shown is computed only from records published under CC0 or CC BY, so a listed species can show few or no counted records. Monthly patterns show when people record spiders, which also reflects when people are outdoors. Venomous status follows taxonomy: pit vipers and coral snakes; widow and recluse spiders; the Arizona bark scorpion. Records filed under older names count for the species they belong to today. Full methodology.