This inch-long behemoth is a juvenile yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia). When it is grown, it will be a brilliant yellow and black, and almost three inches across including the legs. (Assuming it’s a female, which is a good guess, as even now she’s bigger than an adult male; the boys top out at about…
Tag: web
Mabel Orchard Orb Weaver
Leucauge comes from Greek roots which mean “with a bright gleam”. The family is differentiated from other tetragnathid spiders by their oval bodies and the brilliant orange markings on the underside of the abdomen. Honestly, this may also be a Leucauge venusta. The two species are essentially identical unless you want to get extremely intimate…
Cribellate Orb Weaver
This gorgeous little lady is pretty certain to be Uloborus glomosus — one of very few Uloborus species in North America. Spiders in this family are notable for having very long front legs, with little tufts of hair around the far joints; they have a variety of common names, including feather-legged orb weaver and tufted…
Arrow-shaped Micrathena Spider
These striking spiders look like they ought to be related to the spiny orb-weaver (Gasteracantha sp). They are in the same family (Araneidae) but a different genus (Micrathena). They have fewer spines than Gasteracantha (and, again, probably a bunch of smaller details, like the number of hairs on the thorax or which way some microscopic…
Trashline Orb Weaver Spider
The name of the trashline orb weaver spider (Cyclosa turbinata) is derived from the thick vertical line of silk and/or debris in its web. Called the stabilimentum, the line may help stabilize the web, may attract insects, or may deter birds from flying through the web by making it visible. The line of silk also…
American House Spider
Maybe an inch long if she stretched out. The freeform, “messy” web is characteristic of the species.
Banana Spider
Huge but harmless, this lovely lady is about four inches across. A male of the species is only about 1/4 her size. These spiders are commonly called “banana spiders” not so much because they are yellow, but because they are often found among bunches of bananas during harvesting. I originally found this species described as…
Orchard Orb Weaver
Maybe half an inch long, including the legs — many even smaller. Orchard orb weaver spiders are almost invisible at a distance, and tiny rainbows when seen up close. They come in a variety of patterns featuring neons and bright colors against black. They hang upside down in the center of their webs waiting for…