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Spider Photos -  Orbweaver (1)

Here's some photos of those common Garden spiders from the Orb Weaving family.   My apologies if there are some Araneus on pages where they don't belong but they are very hard to classify. Try this page for a species guide:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/1977/bgpage?from=5

Orb weavers (Araneidae) are often brightly coloured with rounded abdomens, some with peculiarly angled humps or spines. However, there is considerable variation in size, colour and shape in this group. They are often recognized for building beautiful, large, round webs, on which they rest, head downward, waiting for prey. The webs consist of a number of radiating threads crossed by two spirals. The inner spiral begins in the centre, winds outward, and is made of smooth threads like the radiating threads. It covers only the central 1/3 of the web. The outer spiral begins at the edges and winds inward. It is made of more elastic, sticky threads, coated with a liquid substance. One of the largest and most commonly encountered members of this group is Argiope aurantia, the yellow garden spider and we have photos of them on their own page. Garden Orb Weavers are NOT dangerous (but can bite as can most spiders) and rid your garden of many unwanted insects. They only live for one season and die off as Winter approaches, leaving their egg sacs behind to hatch out next Spring. Please select a section below. Here's a short video (3Mb) sent in by Aaron Knapp. Click here.

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Unidentified Spiders 2008 (1) Unidentified Spiders 2008 (2) Unidentified Spiders 2007 (1)
Unidentified Spiders 2007 (2) Unidentified Spiders 2007 (3) Unidentified Spiders 2006 (1)
Unidentified Spiders 2006 (2) Unidentified Spiders 2006 (3) Unidentified Spiders 2005 (1)
Unidentified Spiders 2005 (2) Unidentified Spiders 2005 (3) Unidentified Spiders 2004 (1)
Unidentified Spiders 2004 (2) Unidentified Spiders 2003 Unidentified Spiders 2002
Unidentified Spiders 2001 Spiders in Amber Closeups
Ant Mimicking Spiders  Argiopes/St. Andrew's Cross Black House Spider
Brown Recluse Spiders Crab Spiders Daddy Long Legs
Fishing Spiders Funnel Web (Aus) Garden Orb Weavers
Golden Orb Weavers Grass spiders/Funnel Weavers Hobo Spiders
Huntsman Spiders Jewelled Spiders Jumping Spiders
Leaf Curling Spiders Long Jawed Orb Weavers Lynx Spiders
Marbled Orb Weavers Mouse Spiders Mygalomorphs
Nursery Web Spiders Parson Spider Redback/Black Widow
Solfugids/Camel Spiders Southern House Spider Spined Micarathena
Spitting Spider Steadota Tailless Whip Scorpions
Tarantulas Trapdoor Spiders Venusta Orchard Spiders
Wandering Spiders Wolf Spiders Woodlouse Hunters
Yellow & Broad faced Sac Spiders    

ORB WEAVERS/GARDEN SPIDERS

Orb weavers (Araneidae) are often brightly coloured with rounded abdomens, some with peculiarly angled humps or spines. However, there is considerable variation in size, colour and shape in this group. They are often recognized for building beautiful, large, round webs, on which they rest, head downward, waiting for prey. The webs consist of a number of radiating threads crossed by two spirals. The inner spiral begins in the centre, winds outward, and is made of smooth threads like the radiating threads. It covers only the central 1/3 of the web. The outer spiral begins at the edges and winds inward. It is made of more elastic, sticky threads, coated with a liquid substance. One of the largest and most commonly encountered members of this group is Argiope aurantia, the yellow garden spider and we have photos of them on their own page. Please select a section below.
Garden Orb Weavers (1) Garden Orb Weavers (2) Garden Orb Weavers (3)
Garden Orb Weavers (4) Garden Orb Weavers (5) Garden Orb Weavers (6)
Garden Orb Weavers (7) Shamrock Orb Weavers Marbled Orb Weavers
Giant Lichen Orb Weavers Golden Silk Orb Weavers Cat Faced Orb Weavers
Pumpkin Spiders/Other  

GARDEN ORB WEAVERS

Reply: This is a garden orb weaver.

18 August, 2008:
ICould you please help me identify this spider? It has taken up residence directly outside of our front door and I have no problem leaving it there to eat all the insects that gather around our outside light, but if it's venomous I need to remove it as I have a five year old that plays just outside this door. I live near Columbia, SC if that helps to distinguish the species. Your site is fascinating and thank you for helping me out! Melissa

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More from Hermione: Thanks so much! A little more research lead me to the Foliate spider, which seems like a good match. I even found one that someone had photographed in the same county I live in.

18 August, 2008:
I was looking at your website in hopes of identifying a spider that we have at our house. This spider has built its web on a small over-hang on our front porch and we only see it at night. During the day, it hides, but as soon as it gets dark, it comes out and sits in the center of its web. We've hosted many spiders at our house over the years: marbled orb weavers, common house spiders, black widows, barn spiders, etc., but this is a new one. I suppose the long and short of it is, I was wondering if you might help me identify this one. I've attached some pictures and I look forward to hearing back. Thank you! Located in Chattanooga, TN, USA. -- Hermione

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Reply: This is a garden orb weaver of some variety.
16 August,  2008:
Hi Glen, This spider has been coming to visit our home in Burlington, NJ every night now for a couple of weeks. Each night she builds these amazing webs right outside our sliding glass door... like RIGHT OUTSIDE haha... blocking us in the house. Most of the time I've avoided running into it, although once I forgot about it and walked right through it. Scared the bageezas out of me! And, at times, since my dogs aren't as careful to avoid her web, she's had to rebuild a few times. By the morning, there is no sign she was every even there. Even the web is completely gone. Because she seems to be reproducing (found a smaller version of her building a web a few feet from her favorite spot), and is always outside our back door, I thought I should know what kind of spider it is and if it is poisonous. Mostly, I just want to know if I should be more careful letting my dogs, or even myself, outside when she's hanging around, and since the weather will be changing soon and spiders love to find their way into the house. While spiders aren't my favorite, I figure all life has a purpose and who am I to decide who lives and dies, right? Just need to know if I should be more careful. Also wondering if they jump, because jumping spiders are sometimes difficult to catch (especially if I'm not prepared for the jumping... really creeps me out!) and safely return outside when they get in. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Candy C.

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Reply: This is a garden orb weaver of some variety.
16 August,  2008:
Hi! I found your website while trying to find out what this spider is ( I have attached 2 pics) that we found in our garage. Do you know what it is and whether or not it is poisonous? Also, I don't know much about spiders, but I imagine them to be solitary creatures. Do you think there are many others in our garage like this one? Thanks! Jane

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9 August,  2008:
was on your site spiderz rule.  i have a picture of a spider that is living in my yard.  was wondering if you could give me some assistance in identifying what type of spider it is.  thanks in advance for any help you could give me.

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9 August,  2008:
Hi there… Glad that I found your site. I live in Minnesota, and found this spider on my patio door around 2am. She had spun a web over half of our patio door, and was camped out in the middle. The spider was orange and black, and I apologize for the not so great photos – it was dark and I was taking the photos through glass. I was too afraid to walk out on the deck and take a few without glass. She was as bigger than a quarter diameter which included her legs – which is VERY big for a Minnesota spider. I have never seen one quite like this before and was hoping that maybe you would know right away what it might be. Well… if you do or don’t know – that’s ok… Just thought I would ask. Thanks… Kyra

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5 August,  2008:
I live 60 miles outside of NYC. Any idea what type this is? (this is the underside of the spider)

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5 August,  2008:
Hi Glen, Here are some pictures of a female Southern House Spider that was in my grandmother's living room, and a big Orb Weaver that had a web spun between two pecan trees. Feel free to use them if you want. --Damy

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5 August,  2008:
Hi Glen, I photographed this little Orb Weaver while it was working the other night. These Orb Weavers are all over the place from late June through first frost in my area. Feel free to use the pictures if you want. --Damy 

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20 July,  2008:
My friend h[]as "a spider" that hatches its babies in the exact same place every year, on the wall of her porch. Is it possible that it's the same spider or does one of the babies return to its birthplace to lay eggs? These are small, golden spiders and I have attached a photo of the babies. Thanks! Judi Click for a larger view. 

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20 July,  2008:
Hello Glen, You identified a spider for our family two years ago, we found another spider in the forest. Could you please help? This spider is possibly an orb weaver, but you never know, this thing is huge. It measures approximately 2 inches on the abdomen alone. When the spider relaxed it seemed to be about 4 inches or more. (It was a VERY LARGE spider for this area-way larger than any wolf spiders around here) Also, when we first spotted the spider, it was completely black dark. With the light on the spider it was black/gray in color. After the light was on the spider for a while, we watched the most amazing web being woven, the spider then seemed to be a mossy greenish color. Do these type of spiders have the ability to blend with backgrounds like frogs and lizards? The spider seeemed to get slower for a little bit, then took a break in the middle of weaving his web to eat his meal which was already wrapped when we arrived. While eating the spider seemed to get flatter or cupped around his meal-does that make sense? Thank you so very much for your time. By the way your website is an amazing tool for people to learn about arachnids, keep it up. Regards, Grace

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10 July,  2008:
The photos I have attached are of a really neat spider found in our Central Florida backyard over the last 2 nights (s/he's gone tonight). S/He built his web between a fig tree and the ground under a motion sensor light. Smart place to find bugs! I thought the web was awesome, but photographing it in the dark was a pain!

Click for a larger view. 

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3 July,  2008:
Hi Glen: My brother Pat asked that I forward these photos I took to you. This spider, some sort of Orb Weaver, I think, was on the neighbor's Mango tree: Regards, Adam

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29 June, 2008:
HHi Glen, I photographed this great little Orb Weaver the other night. I also took a lengthy video of her with prey, hanging inverted from a single thread of silk, somehow spinning around and around in place. I plan to upload the video to Youtube soon. Feel free to use the pictures. --Damy

Click for a larger view. 

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4 May, 2008:
Hi Glen, I photographed these two little Orb Weavers the other night, along with a big Nursery Web Spider. One of these photos in this e-mail is not an Orb Weaver, but I accidentally named it that. It was in the same area as the Orb Weavers and Nursery Web Spider. I have a video of these spiders on Youtube. Feel free to use the photos.
--Damy

Click for a larger view. 

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3 April, 2008:
Hi. I live in Alberta (just west of Calgary, in the foothills) and I took this picture of what I called "the happy face spider". I have no idea what it is, but don't imagine it is harmful. Have you ever seen such a thing? Sue

 

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2 April, 2008:

I found this neat little Orb Weaver with a perfectly round web in one of my flower pots. I have attached two photos of it.--Damy

Click for a larger view. 

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14 March, 2008:

Hi Glen, I was taking a walk in the woods yesterday and almost ran into this extreme booby-trap. An Orb Weaver had its web spun between some very thorny Blackberry branches. So it was a double threat! Anyway, I avoided being bitten or snagged, and painstakingly took these 6 photos. I'm still a photo noob, so I had to place my hand behind the spider to get my camera to focus on it. Feel free to use the photos if you want. --Damy

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7 March, 2008:
Hi Glen, I found your website while trying to identify a spider in my yard.  I live in Florida and have a huge spider in my front yard.  He usually comes out at night and builds his web extremely fast, as it tends to come down during the day.  I have some photos if you can try to figure out what kind of spider it is and if it is dangerous.  I have a 2 year old who runs through the yard constantly so I am a bit worried.  I hope your expertise can ease my mind. Thanks for your help. Melissa

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29 February, 2008:
 Could you also email me back and tell me what type of spider this is, I live in Michigan. Thanks Kevin

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20 February, 2008:
Hi, thanks to your web-site i managed to identify this baby! The fangs looks nasty from underneath. It's huge, the web is enormous and my wife is freaking out over it li
living in our garden...Do they go away after a while (seasonal) or should I introduce myself to my new neighbour with it's freaky red-legs and hairy backThanks, Owen.

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20 February, 2008:
Hello , I was on your site Spiderz Rule ! to see if I could try to identify a spider in Western Australia , I have only been here 6 months and saw this spider which as it was night thought it was a small huntsman until I saw it in daylight and saw the white pattern down it's back , I thought it was a white tail but when I googled that it was not so am at a loss !!!!!! He was a very scary spider but am wondering if he is dangerous or not and what he is ....... I will understand if you dont know what it is and I couldnt find a link to upload any pic's on the website so I thought I would email you , I really hope you dont mind ......
Please find an attachment of the beast in question . ....... Any info would be great ....
Thanks Alot Mandy xxx

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20 February, 2008:
Could you tell me what kind of spider this might be? It is in southern Florida, only see them at night time. The web is huge as well as the spider. Thanks for any help. Deb K

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7 February, 2008:
Hi Glen! I found your Web site shortly after finding the spider attached to this email.
It was found in its web and resides in San Francisco. I do not know what it is but I'm guessing a Garden Orb-Weaving spider. This is purely a guess. The body is probably around 1.25 - 1.5" long. it's hanging above my doorway and is often above me as I leave the house. I'm not entirely comfortable with it being there. Late one evening upon leaving the house, I saw it. I went in and grabbed the camera, flash, and flash cable. Holding the flash in one hand and the camera in the other, I quickly took four shots before it got uncomfortable with me and scurried up and out of the way.
I thought you might enjoy the photo. Cheers! Nathan

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4 February, 2008:
Hi, I have attached some Australian common spider pictures which you may be of interest. These are mostly taken around Perth as the opportunity arose using a simple Canon powerShot A410. The last one is recent and is a jumping spider seconds after wrestling a large fly into submission. Hope you enjoy them. Regards Richard

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Reply: This is a garden orb weaver.

29 January, 2008:
What kind is this one? Thanks, Mac

 

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Reply: This is a garden orb weaver.

12 January
, 2008:
I live in NE Florida and found this spider living in the front of my house. It only builds its web in the late evening and is gone by the morning.I  think it hides in the soffet around my front porch. Its about an inch to inch and a half long. Any ideas as to what this might be?

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Reply: Both spiders are garden orb weavers.

12 January, 2008:
Hi there, I found this spider when it invaded a web inhabited by this another enormous spider. The other spider chased it away so it started to build its own web in the Jade tree.

1 & 2 is "the other spider" who did the chasing. 3 is the one in the jade tree. As you can see it is black & white with red bands. I live in Kurmond at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Hope you can help me. Regards Carole
 

 

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