Unveiling the Orb Weaver Spiders of North Carolina

North Carolina is home to a variety of orb weaver species, each with its own distinct characteristics. These skilled web builders are not only a marvel of nature but also an essential part of the local ecosystem. From the Coastal Plain to the Appalachian Mountains, these spiders can be found in a range of environments. Learn more about the orb weaver species that call North Carolina home.

Orb Weaver Spiders Found In North Carolina

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Golden Silk Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Nephilidae (Nephilid Orbweavers spiders)

Genus

Trichonephila (formerly Nephila)

Species

T. clavipes (formerly N. clavipes)

Binomial Name

Trichonephila clavipes (formerly Nephila clavipes)

  • This spider species is known by several informal, common English names including:
    • Golden Silk Orbweaver
    • Golden Orbweaver
    • Banana Spider
    • Calico Spider
  • Formerly known by the scientific binomial “Nephila clavipes“, scientists moved the species into genus Trichonephila. Many older field guides will still list this species by its former genus.

Golden Silk Orbweaver Images

How To Identify Golden Silk Orbweaver Spiders

  • Like many spiders, Golden Silk Orbweaver spiders are sexually dimorphic.
    • Females are much larger than males and the sexes look different from each other.
  • Female Golden Silk Orbweaver spiders are unmistakable.
    • Not only are they the largest orb weaver spider species found in North Carolina, they are also one of the largest spiders in our state, period.
    • Female orb weavers can grow up to 1.3 inches (3.4 cm) in total body length, with legs that span nearly 4 inches (10 cm) (Bradley 2012).
    • Their cephalothoraxes are dark in color but covered in fine silvery-gray hairs that look like fur.
    • Their abdomens are elongated, slightly curved, and bright yellow-orange, with paired white spots that run lengthwise.
    • Their long legs are pale orange near their bodies and darken towards the tips.
    • Their first, second, and fourth pair of legs sport large, thick black tufts of stiff hair at ends of their femora and tibiae.
  • Male Golden Silk Orbweavers are harder to identify on their own but are easily identified when positioned next to the females in the webs.
    • Male orb weavers are dark and much, much smaller than the females.
    • Males grow only to about 0.3 inches (0.8 cm) in total body length and lack black leg tufts.

Golden Silk Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Female Golden Silk Orbweaver spiders are famous for their large size, imposing appearance, and huge, sticky webs.
    • Look for these orb weaver spiders in shaded woodlands and swamps.
    • Hikers in these areas should be attentive and constantly scan the area ahead and above them for these spiders. While the spiders themselves are purported to have relatively weak venom, running head-first into one of this species’ strong, sticky, and gigantic webs is frankly horrifying.
  • Females construct huge, asymmetrical orb webs that can span many feet, and are never found away from them.
    • The web strands themselves are gold in color (which gives this species one of its informal, common, English names).
    • Like many orbweaver spiders, female Golden Orbweaver spiders constantly repair their webs. They eat about half the silk strands every day, recycle the silk proteins in their bodies, then spin fresh strands the next day.
    • Most webs of this species hold one female orb weaver, many male orb weavers, and one or more individuals of the spider genus Argyrodes.
      • Argyrodes spiders are “web kleptoparasites”; they steal food that is generally too small for the orbweavers to eat themselves.
  • Webs constructed by this species are incredibly strong. They capture large, powerful flying insects like dragonflies easily, and can even catch small birds (Zenzal et al. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1676/1559-4491-132.2.456).
    • Golden Silk Orbweaver spiders accumulate prey in the hubs of their webs. Individual spiders carry prey from the outskirts of their webs to the centers and anchor the prey with single strands of silk, then settle down to feed. If additional prey strike their webs, the spiders abandon their in-progress meal, travel out to the new prey, and repeat the process.
    • Accumulated prey at the web center is called a “larder”. Golden Silk Orbweaver spiders remember how many larders they’ve accumulated and will actually search for missing larders (Rodriguez et al. 2015, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0801-9).
  • This orb weaver species is diurnal and easy to observe during the day.

Hentz Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae (Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Neoscona

Species

N. crucifera

Binomial Name

Neoscona crucifera

  • Also called the “Arboreal Orbweaver” (Bradley 2012) and the “Cross Orbweaver” (Rose 2022).
  • Previously known by the scientific binomial “Neoscona hentzii” (Bradley 2012).

Hentz Orbweaver Spider images

How To Identify Hentz Orbweaver Spiders

  • Hentz Orbweaver Spiders are sexually dimorphic; females are slightly larger than males.
    • Female orb weaver spiders grow to 0.8 inches (2.0 cm) in total body length.
    • Male orb weaver spiders grow to 0.6 inches (1.5 cm).
  • Both sexes are variable in color throughout their range.
    • In general, this orb weaver is brown or orange and covered in long, conspicuous hairs.
      • Their legs are banded in dark brown and light brown to white.
    • Some individuals displays little to no markings at all, while others are boldly patterned with a cross-shaped mark on their abdomens that gives this spider its specific name “crucifera“.
    • The more colorful individuals can be confused with their cousin species, the Spotted Forest Orbweaver (Neoscona domiciliorum).
      • One way to possibly tell the two apart is by their location. Hentz Orbweavers are more likely to live close to humans and in drier environments than the Spotted Forest Orbweaver, which prefers damp woodlands (Gaddy 2009).

Hentz Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Hentz Orbweaver spiders are nocturnal. During the day, they hide in vegetation or up under the eaves of buildings and the planks of wooden fences.
  • These orb weavers build huge webs that can span an area 36 inches by 44 inches (91.44 cm x 111.76 cm) (Adams 2000, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007771332721).
    • The webs hang from tree branches and are anchored to the ground, with the webs’ orbs suspended 3-4 feet above the ground.
    • Female orb weavers spin new webs every evening to repair damage and prepare for the night’s hunting.
  • Look for this species in deciduous forests, open woodlands, and throughout the suburbs. These spiders are some of the most common large orbweaver spiders found living near humans.
    • Unlike many animal species, Hentz Orbweavers may benefit from the presence of humans.
    • They are especially common in the vegetation around porch and street lights as they appear sensitive to lighted areas that may attract more flying insects than darker areas.
      • A study conducted by M. R. Adams published in the Journal of Insect Behavior showed that Hentz Orbweaver spiders select areas with the most light in which to construct their webs and build their webs faster in lighted areas. Since flying insects are attracted to artificial lights, and the Hentz Orbweaver feeds on flying insects captured by their sticky webs, preferentially building their webs every night in lighted areas reduces the energy the spiders must extend to find sufficient food (Adams 2000, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007771332721).

Longjawed Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Tetragnathidae (Longjawed Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Tetragnatha

Species

T. sp.

Binomial Name

Tetragnatha sp.

  • North Carolina is home to several species of spiders in genus Tetragnatha, including:
    • Silver Longjawed Orbweaver (T. laboriosa)
    • Elongate Stilt Orbweaver (T. elongata)
    • Many-colored Longjawed Orbweaver (T. versicolor)
    • Straw-colored Longjawed Orbweaver (T. straminea) (Gaddy 2009)

Longjawed Orbweaver Spider Images

How To Identify Longjawed Orbweaver Spiders

  • Longjawed Orbweaver Spiders have long, thin bodies and extremely long, thin legs.
    • The body lengths of the four Tetragnatha orb weaver species found in North Carolina range from 0.2 – 0.4 inches (6 – 9 mm) for females and 0.2 – 0.3 inches (5 – 8 mm) for males.
    • Their legs are different lengths, with the first pair being the longest, and the third pair being the shortest (Rose 2022).
    • These orb weaver spiders can be hard to spot during the day, despite being very common in forests and around water. They are nocturnal; during the day, they hide along plants stems or tree twigs.
  • Longjawed Orbweavers get their common, informal, English name from their chelicerae and fangs, which are very long and robust compared to their overall body lengths.

Longjawed Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Longjawed Orbweavers are mostly nocturnal and can be hard to spot during the day.
    • Often, they hide from predators by stretching out along twigs or plant stems and remaining motionless. These orb weavers stretch their front two pairs of legs forward and their back two pairs of legs backward to camouflage their outlines and blend into the background.
    • Sometimes, they venture out onto their webs to make repairs or investigate vibrations.
  • The easiest way to find Longjawed Orbweaver Spiders is to first look for their webs, which are usually either close to water or suspended above it. Then search nearby twigs and stems carefully for the spiders themselves.
    • Their webs are distinctive for orb-shaped web building spiders. Longjawed Orbweaver Spiders build classic spiral webs but their webs hang horizontally rather than vertically, and they leave the hubs open. Only the radial support lines extend from the hubs of their webs; the spiders stop spinning the sticky spiral capture strands several inches from the web centers.
  • Longjawed Orbweavers can walk on water.
    • These spiders risk being knocked off their webs and into the water by strong winds, heavy rain, or rising water levels.
    • While predators abound on land, fish pose a major and immediate danger to any spider that hits the water so quick escape from the water becomes a priority.
    • Longjawed Orbweavers evolved the ability to “water walk”. The spiders rest on the surface tension of the water and use their front six legs to push towards land while dragging their back pair of legs.
    • One North Carolina orb weaver species, Tetragnatha elongata, can differentiate shoreline from open water and determine the shortest distance to shore when in the water.
      • When they find themselves on open water, the spiders orient themselves towards land and water walk towards safety.
      • Distance from shore seems to play a part in how quickly the spiders pick their course off the water. Nearer to shore, the spiders pick their direction quickly; farther from shore, they walk in wide circles first, presumably searching for the best route.
      • Sometimes, spiders trapped out on the water release strands of silk to help them travel. The wind catches the fine silk and pulls the orb weavers along (Goedeker, Wrynn, and Gall 2021, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7249).

Marbled Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae (Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Araneus

Species

A. marmoreus

Binomial Name

Araneus marmoreus

  • Marbled Orbweaver Spiders are also called “Halloween Spiders”, probably because large orange females become more active and thus noticeable in the fall as they prepare to lay their eggs.
  • They are also called “Pumpkin Spiders”, both because they are active in the fall when pumpkins are ready to harvest and because of their conspicuous, round, orange or yellow abdomens.

Marbled Orbweaver Spider Images

How To Identify Marbled Orbweaver Spiders

  • Like many spiders, Marbled Orbweavers are sexually dimorphic, with the females growing much larger than the males.
    • Female Marbled Orbweaver spiders grow to 0.7 inches (1.8 cm) in total body length.
    • Male orb weavers are about a third as long, growing to only 0.2 inches (0.6 cm).
  • Female Marbled Orbweavers are distinctive thanks to their size, bright colors, and very large, round abdomens.
    • Their cephalothoraxes are bright orange.
    • Their legs are orange at the bases, and banded in white and black to the tips.
    • Their abdomens vary in color and pattern. In North Carolina, these spiders usually have bright yellow or orange abdomens decorated with zig-zag blotches of black or dark brown.
    • Juvenile spiders tend to be more pale overall (Bradley 2012).
  • Compared to female orb weavers, male Marbled Orbweavers:
    • Are less colorful and more uniformly orange.
    • Also show bands of color on their legs but the bands are shades of orange and cream so are less distinct.
    • Are much skinnier overall.
      • Males lack the females’ large, bulbous abdomens, as they do not carry organs required for laying eggs. The abdomens on male Marbled Orbweavers are thin, flattened, and smaller than their cephalothoraxes.

Marbled Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Marbled Orbweaver Spiders live throughout North Carolina and are fairly common sights.
    • Look for individual orb weaver spiders in coniferous and deciduous forests and in wet or humid areas.
    • These spiders build their large orb webs in low bushes, tall grass, and under low tree branches.
  • Marbled Orbweaver spiders are mostly nocturnal; during the day, they hide from predators in leaf shelters unless they sense prey or damage to their webs.
    • To make their leaf shelters, the spiders fold the leaves over and anchor the edges with silk to form tents. The spiders then hunker down and wait for prey to strike their webs.
      • An easy way to find Marbled Orbweavers during the day is to first spot one of their webs, then search the foliage near the points at which the web’s guy lines anchor to the vegetation for folded leaves. Chances are good that a Marbled Orbweaver crouches in the shelter of the tent close to its web.
  • Marbled Orbweaver spiders are most abundant in late summer and early fall. Some large adults can even survive into November in North Carolina (Gaddy 2009).

Orchard Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthopoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Tetragnathidae (Longjawed Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Leucauge

Species

L. venusta

Binomial Name

Leucauge venusta

  • Orchard Orbweavers look exactly another spider species, Leucauge argyrobapta, the Mabel Orchard Orbweaver, which lives in Florida only (Rose 2022).

Orchard Orbweaver Spider Images

How To Identify Orchard Spiders

  • Orchard Orbweavers are small orbweavers but distinctive and conspicuous because of their bright abdominal color and green legs.
    • Females grow to 0.3 inches (0.8 cm)
    • Males grow to 0.2 inches (05 cm)
  • When seen from above, these spiders have:
    • Light brown cephalothoraxes marked with a dark median line
    • Green legs, which can appear metallic
    • Long, oval abdomens, which are silver-white and decorated with yellow, green, black, and iridescent green. A dark green or black center line runs the length of their abdomens; several small lines branch off at diagonals and form a single dark green ring around the abdomens.
  • When seen from below, these orb weaver spiders have dark-colored abdomens decorated with yellow spots near the spinnerets. Most individuals display an orange or yellow, horseshoe-shaped mark near the abdomen.

Orchard Spider Notes

  • Orchard Spiders are common throughout North Carolina during the warmer months.
    • Juveniles over-winter and emerge in the spring to finish developing into full adults (Gaddy 2009).
  • Look for Orchard Orbweavers in moist forests, along stream and pond edges, and in home gardens and suburban landscaping.
    • These spiders hang upside down from the orb webs they build in low bushes and tree branches.
      • The spiders spin a tangle of silk strands under the capture orbs and angle their webs between horizontal and vertical.
  • Orchard Orbweavers are diurnal, so casual observers can admire their beautiful colors and the precise way they navigate across their webs.
  • Like all spiders, Orchard Orbweavers help humanity by preying on most pests that infest plants important for our survival, like fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural crops.
    • Although Orchard Orbweavers are small spiders compared to some of their larger orbweaver relatives, they are powerful predators that eat a huge number of insect pests.
    • In one research study, scientists studied the feeding efficacy of spiders for control of Silverleaf Whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), which are major agricultural pests. The Orchard Orweaver Spiders used in the experiment “consumed the most whiteflies (24.66 ± 1.26 and 51.33 ± 2.02 flies) in 24 h and 48 h, respectively”, compared to the other three spiders studied (Wagan et al. 2019, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48595083).

Spinybacked Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae (Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Gasteracantha

Species

G. cancriformis

Binomial Name

Gasteracantha cancriformis

  • Spinybacked Orbweaver Spiders are also known as:
    • Crab Spiders
      • Gasteracantha cancriformis is not a true “crab spider”, which are species within Thomasidae family.
    • Jewel Spiders
    • Caribbean Spiny Orbweavers
    • Smiley-faced Orbweaver Spider

Spinybacked Orbweaver Spider Images

How To Identify Spinybacked Orbweaver Spiders

  • Spinybacked Orbweavers are small spiders that nevertheless spin large orb webs.
  • Males and females are sexually dimorphic in both size and appearance.
    • Females grow up to 0.34 inches (0.86 cm) in total body length and up to 0.4 inches (1.0 cm) wide (Gaddy 2009), making them wider than they are long.
    • Males grow up to 0.11 inches ( 0.27 cm).
  • Males have:
    • Black cephalothoraxes
    • Black legs
    • Spineless black and white abdomens.
  • Females are distinctive and have:
    • Black cephalothoraxes
    • Black legs
    • Six sharp spines along the margin of their abdomens; a pair on each side and a pair on the tip
    • Variable coloration; females can be:
      • White with black spines
      • White with red spines
      • Bright yellow with black spines
    • All female color morphs have black markings that look like a smiley-face or a hockey mask.

Spinybacked Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • This species lives only in the coastal plain of North Carolina.
  • Despite their small size, Spinybacked Orbweaver Spiders build large orb webs in shrubs and low tree branches.
    • Male Spinybacked Orbweavers sometimes hang from the females’ webs on single silk strands (Bradley 2012) but are otherwise hard to spot in the wild.
    • Female spiders are more obvious and easier to find as they are larger, colorful, and hang upside down in the middle of the large webs during the day.
  • The webs themselves are conspicuous even from a distance, which helps humans avoid walking face-first into their webs.
    • Webs can span up to nearly 20 inches (50 cm).
    • Webs are spun of thick silk that shines in certain angles of sunlight.
    • The spiders weave the spiral strands very close together, which makes them easy to see.
  • The spines on female Spinybacked Orbweavers may have evolved as protection against predators, and the color morphs may have evolved to both warn predators away and attract prey.
    • Different prey species may be attracted to different color morphs, as the spiders’ colors may mimic flowers.
    • Alternatively, some spider predators may notice certain color morphs more than others.
    • A study completed by Nathalia G. Ximenes and Felipe M. Gawryszewski showed that:
    • On the other hand, a study by Fabian C. Salgado-Roa and co-authors showed no significant difference in prey capture success between the different female Spinybacked Orbweaver Spider color morphs. Instead, the brightness of the light in which the spiders built their webs impacted prey capture rates; webs built in dim light caught approximately 70% more prey than webs built in brighter light (Salgado-Roa et al. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-023-10244-6).

Spotted Forest Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae (Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Neoscona

Species

N. domiciliorum

Binomial Name

Neoscona domiciliorum

  • The Spotted Forest Orbweaver is also known as:

Spotted Forest Orbweaver Spider Images

How To Identify Spotted Forest Orbweaver Spiders

  • Male and female Spotted Forest Orbweaver Spiders look similar and have:
    • Dark cephalothoraxes covered in a thick covering of long, gray hair.
    • Black abdomens decorated with a wide, white, cross-shaped center band.
    • Legs that are bright red at the bases (femurs) and banded black and white towards the tips.
  • Males look like skinny females, with smaller, thinner abdomens, and are rarely seen in the wild.
  • As with many spider species, males and females are sexually dimorphic; female Spotted Forest Orbweavers grow larger than males.
    • Females grow to 0.6 inches (1.6 cm) in total body length.
    • Males grow to 0.4 inches (0.9 cm) in total body length.

Spotted Forest Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Spotted Forest Orbweavers are abundant in the coastal plain region of North Carolina but are also found in the Piedmont.
  • Look for these spiders in moist, forested areas, especially in flood plain forests, swamps, marshes, and along lakes and streams.
  • Female spiders rest heads-down in the center of their webs by both day and night, or inside folded leaves near their webs during the day (Bradley 2012).

Triangulate Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae (Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Verrucosa

Species

V. arenata

Binomial Name

Verrucosa arenata

  • The Triangulate Orbweaver Spider is also known as:
    • Arrowhead Spider
    • Arrowhead Orbweaver
    • Triangle Orbweaver.

Triangulate Orbweaver Spider Images

How To Identify Triangulate Orbweaver Spiders

  • Triangulate Orbweaver spiders are small, sexually dimorphic spiders.
    • Females grow to 0.4 inches (1.0 cm) in total body length.
    • Males grow to 0.2 inches (0.6 cm in total body length.
  • Triangulate Orbweavers have:
    • Red, rust, or dark brown cephalothoraxes and legs
    • Triangular abdomens that are covered in a white, yellow, or pale orange patch and have :
      • The same color as their cephalothoraxes along the edges
      • Covered in a white, yellow, or pale pink-orange patch
      • Six to eight small humps along the tip
  • The distinctive triangular abdominal patch is sharply defined on females and less so on males.
  • Males also have longer legs than females (pairs I and II only), and a long clasping spine on the tibia of leg pair II.

Triangulate Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Triangulate Orbweaver Spiders are found mostly in the mountains and Piedmont areas of North Carolina.
  • Look for them in open areas within dense, moist, hardwood forests, and suburban gardens.
  • Unlike most orbweaver spiders, Triangulate Orbweavers hang in their webs heads-up, instead of heads-down.
  • These spiders are primarily nocturnal.
    • Triangulate Orbweaver Spiders spin their webs each evening and usually remove them at dawn (Bradley 2012). But sometimes, they will leave their webs intact through the morning, especially if the webs are undamaged.

Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spider

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Araneidae (Orbweaver spiders)

Genus

Argiope

Species

A. aurantia

Binomial Name

Argiope aurantia

  • The Yellow Garden Spider is also known as:
    • Black and Yellow Garden Spider
    • Black and Yellow Argiope
    • Golden Garden Spider
    • Writing Spider
    • Zigzag Spider
    • Zipper Spider
    • Corn Spider
    • Steeler Spider
    • McKinley Spider (Rose 2022)

Yellow Garden Spider Orbweaver Images

How To Identify Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders

  • Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders are sexually dimorphic in both size and appearance.
    • Females are large spiders and grow up to 1.1 inches (2.8 cm) in total body length.
    • Males are much smaller and grow only to about 0.3 inches (0.8 cm).
  • Female Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders have:
    • Black cephalothoraxes covered in thick, long silvery-gray hairs that give them a furry appearance dorsally.
      • The ventral surface is black with a thin, yellow stripe down the mid-line.
    • Large black abdomens decorated with a series of yellow or white blotches on the dorsal side.
      • Two to four pairs of yellow or white spots run down the mid-line of their abdomens.
      • The sides have yellow or white markings that give the spiders a slightly striped appearance.
      • The ventral surface is black with pairs of small yellow or white spots in the central area with red or orange spinnerets.
    • Long legs that are orange or yellow near their bodies (femoral segment) and either solid black or banded black and white to the tips.
  • Male Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders are inconspicuous compared to females, both because of their smaller size and because of their coloration.
    • Males have the same markings as the females but in shades of brown and tan instead of black and bright yellow or white.
    • Both body segments are smaller and thinner than those of females.
    • Their legs are also very long compared to their total body lengths but are mostly brown rather than the females’ high contrast black and orange legs.

Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spider Notes

  • Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders are found throughout the United States, although they are less abundant in the western part of the country.
  • In North Carolina, these spiders build their webs in humid, open areas throughout the state.
    • Individual spiders hang head-down from the web centers with their eight legs stretched into an X-shape along the web lines.
  • Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders spin large orb webs—up to 2.5 feet (0.75 m) (Gaddy 2009)—and decorate the centers with conspicuous zig-zag patterns of thick silk called “stabilimenta” (singular “stabilimentum”).
    • Stabilimenta may:
      • Camouflage the waiting spiders.
      • Strengthen and stabilize the web structure.
      • Increase visibility to birds, who could damage the webs by flying into them.
      • Attract insects to the web by absorbing ultraviolet light (Rose 2022).
    • Yellow Garden Orbweaver spider web position their web centers (or “hubs”) a meter or so above the ground, and wind 34 sticky spirals in the upper half or the web and 42 in the lower half, on average (Carrel and Deyrup 2019, https://doi.org/10.1653/024.102.0215).
  • Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spiders are powerful predators that successfully attack and consume large prey, including dragonflies, robber flies, and bird grasshoppers (Carrel and Deyrup 2019, https://doi.org/10.1653/024.102.0215). In fact, prey caught in their webs weighed 2.4 times more than prey caught in webs constructed by their cousin species Argiope florida, and were 1.6 times longer (Carrel and Deyrup 2019, https://doi.org/10.1653/024.102.0215).
  • Adult female Yellow Garden Spiders can tempt male moths of certain species into dangerous proximity by manufacturing and releasing chemicals that mimic the sex pheromones released by the female moths. The scents trick the male moths into flying to meet what they believe to be potential female mates (Warren and Severns 2024). Instead, they collide with the spiders’ sticky capture webs and meet their unfortunate demise.