White-banded crab spider

Description:

The identifying characteristic is a white ridge on the spider's face below the eyes. Can be either white or yellow. All four anterior (front) eyes are about the same size. When viewed from the front, and a little above, only six eyes are visible. The posterior laterals are facing sideways and are on the ends of a long horizontal transverse ridge across the face.

Habitat:

Widespread and is often lurking in or around flowers.

Notes:

I planted the milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) specifically for the monarchs to utilize throughout the warmer months. We had a particularly large migration of monarchs flying through the area that fall, and I was hoping to capture a few photos of them making a feeding pit stop at my flowers. I knew something was weird about this butterfly by its strange angle on the flowers. Turns out it was being eaten!