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SHAMROCK ORB WEAVERS
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Araneus
trifolium |
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Shamrock or Pumpkin Spiders as they are called in different places
scientific name is Araneus trifolium. A. trifolium is a spider
which builds an orb-web and is
classified in a group of spiders called orb-weaver spider. Colour is a
characteristic that may help to identify a spider. A. trifolium
is orange (though it may show up in a yellowish green or purplish form). Its
large, bulbous abdomen is similar to a pumpkin. Measuring a spider's
length also helps in its identification. A. trifolium is
large, compared to other spiders. Size is an important way of
distinguishing one spider from another.
The abdomen also
contains the stomach or crop. In the fall the abdomen and the entire
spider grows quickly. The high vegetation the spider prefers produces
an abundance of insect food; and in the fall there is a growth spurt
when food is most plentiful. This sudden increase in size may be
cause for the spider's "sudden" appearance. In fact, the spiders have
been present all-year, but were much smaller and simply less
noticeable. The spider tends to show up around Halloween - and that
is how it got its common name "Pumpkin Spider." |
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Reply: This is
a shamrock orb weaver - glen
7 May, 2012:
I have been interested in spiders and other bugs for some time now. I did have an incounter quite some time ago with one. It made me scared of them for a while, but always wanted to know more. I am a professional photographer for weddings and senior portraits, but my days off in the summer consists of me walking through my garden and photographing bugs. I carry my camera with me outdoors all the time. I have sent you some pictures of spiders. Some I know what they are and some I'm still confused of. Sorry there is so many. I have had these for 2 years and wanted to do an educated site but found myself
coming to your site to identify them. So I will just send them to you and let you have the fun.
Click for a closeup |
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23 October, 2011:
I found this little lady while throwing out an old pool. I've never seen one so bright orange!
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22 October, 2011:
What's this? |
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4 September, 2011:
Hi there - we are in western Massachusetts and found this spider in our garden. Its pretty big, about the size of a quarter with white and black striped legs and this amazingly beautiful circular egg sack (I think thats what it is, but it could just be the body) on its back. I didn't have a camera with me when I fist saw it, so I couldn't take a photo, and when I went back, it was tucked under this shelter it created with the flowers and a fibrous web. I will try to get more pictures, but I am wondering if you can tell what type of spider it is? Is it dangerous?
I took a look on your "Common Spiders in the US" page and think it looks similar to the Shamrock Orb Weaver, although there are some major differences. The egg sack/body on the one here is light sea green/grey and is circular (not oval) and large, much larger than the one in your picture.The circles and shapes on the sack/body look like water marks almost, similar to the one in your picture, but different in color. Do you think this is a variation of the Shamrock Orb Spider?
Thanks so much!
~Corin |
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2 December, 2010:
I live in northern Virginia. Found this spider on outside of barn.
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Reply: This is
a shamrock orb weaver - glen
14 October, 2010:
Hi Glen,
Found this spider outside barn yesterday. Looks like a marbled orb weaver but I can't find a match for the red body and light spots. Can you please let me know what it is.
Thanks, Karen in Michigan
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Reply: This is
probably a shamrock orb weaver - glen
7 October, 2010:
husband and I were walking in Williamstown MA this morning and saw this interesting spider. Do you know what it is?
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Reply: Yes, I think this is
probably a shamrock orb weaver - glen
2 October, 2010:
Hello folks… I think this lil lady is a Shamrock Orb Weaver? The kids got a kick out of this. Mom – well… not so much. Off she goes back into the woods!
Kind Regards,
Michael
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Reply: I think this is
probably a shamrock orb weaver too!! - glen
30 July, 2010:
About an inch long, head to tail, legs made it look bigger.
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Reply: I think this is
probably a shamrock orb weaver!! - glen
12 July, 2010:
Hi!
While photographing nature this morning I found this guy/gal hiding behind an electrical box outside my house. I've spent 2 hours trying to identify it and the only thing that came close was a comb footed spider.
Can you help, please?
Thank you!
Julie
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Reply: I think this is
probably a shamrock orb weaver!! - glen
24 April, 2010:
The summer cottage is deep in the remote woods in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Found this large’ish yellow spider coming out of a curled up milkweed leaf to wrap up it’s capture. Scared the bejeepers out of me. Arachnophobe here. Cottage season is beginning soon enough, and I would love to know what kind of spider it is. Had very small dots on it, white I believe each with a tiny blk dot in the center. I am from the west Coast of Canada originally and had never seen one there. Would like to know if this particular spider is harmless or if there may be concern if bitten by one, should I encounter them again.
Thank you so much for your time, Nerissa. |
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Reply: I think this is
probably a shamrock orb weaver!! - glen
31 January, 2010:
Thought you'd enjoy this - pretty colors and ready to rock out with disco leg warmers :) |
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Reply: Not a very closeup photo but
amazing red colouring on this shamrock orb weaver!! - glen
2 November, 2009:
found this out side my house any help to see what it is couldnt find it anywhere on line |
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16 October, 2009:
Hello SpiderzRule.com,
Recently (late Sept. and again in early Oct.), I saw a rather large spider (see attached photos -- one of the pics. has a [US] quarter, for scale) capturing bees, using almost no web strung between the stems of some hosta flowers. After an initial quick wrap of the prey, the spider took its quarry back to the underside of one of the hosta leaves for further processing.
After looking around your site, it looks like it might be a Shamrock Orb Weaver (Araneus trifolium)... what do you think?
Regards,
Gregg |
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10 October, 2009:
I got this picture today of a spider in my dining room window. I have no idea what it is. Do you know? Have attached pics.
Thanks,
Zihna |
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3 October, 2009:
To whome this may concern,
I would liked to know what kind of spider this is. I've taken few pictures of it. I do have a spider book but none of it showed or close to identified it. I would like to know what kind of this spider is and are do they bite or are they poisen spider. Please get back to me to let me know what they are.
Thanks, JOHN
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12 September, 2009:
I found this as I was weeding around the raspberry canes (New Brunswick, Canada) and have never seen anything like it, neither had my neighbours in the 30 years they have lived here. Is it a pink and white spotted orb weaver?
Thanks. Jane
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31 August, 2009:
Hi,
I found this spider outside of our house in Dutchess County, New York. I've been searching online for hours, with no luck. Any ideas of what type it is?
thanks,
Emily |
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23 August, 2009:
Hi,
My wife was bitten by this spider while watering her flowers. Can you
identify for me ?
Thanks,
Ralph |
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9 August, 2009:
I was in the mountains of North Carolina this past weekend and found a spider on the fender of the car -- took a photo, cropped and photoshopped the photo, and came up with this beautiful creature. Could you identify this for me? I've looked at photos online and cannot find a comparable spider to this one.
Thanks so much!
Billi Click for a larger view |
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25
October, 2008:
Hi Glenn,
I found this spider in my house today and I have to small children and I was alarmed by its bright color. I just want to make sure it's not dangerous. I tried looking online and I think it's a garden spider but I wanted to make sure. Your the expert. Good Luck!
Thanks, Stephanie |
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25
October, 2008:
Hello,
I am from northern ontario and I found these guys on the outside of my tent this fall. I was wondering if you could identify these lil beauties :)
Thanks, Jody
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11
October, 2008:
Hello,
I saw this spider in my back yard and was wondering if you could tell me what it is?
Thank You ,
Kristine
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2
October, 2008:
Hi I found this spider at work, and was wondering if you could help me identify it. |
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14 September, 2008:
Dear Spiderzrule,
I found this one on my basement door and hadn't seen one before. We live in the northern corner of West Virginia, not far from the PA and MD lines.
I am not much of a spider enthusiast, so I don't know where to start with identifying it; and I can't seem to find pictures of it anywhere.
Any information is helpful,
Thank you,
Nicole
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5 August, 2008:
Yesterday, my neighbor came over with this spider in a jar, he was wondering if it was poisonous.
I had no idea sent it to my photo group and got help from the members to identify it on your web site.
Victor, Hinton, Alberta,
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27 July, 2008:
Can you help me identify this spider. It was found in my back yard in southern NY, USA.
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4 November, 2007:
I found this spider on my porch with a incredible web
. I can`t seem to find it any ware. My sons class in
school could not find it either . Any help in identify
would be great. Thanks -
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18 October, 2007:
Hi Glen: We recently welcomed a new visitor to our
outside deck. In looking through your photos, I believe this
spider to be a Shamrock Orb Weaver, and I've named her
Fiona. She spins such lovely webs, and her anchors are at
least 3 ft. long. I'm attaching a photo of her web, which
was taken at dusk -- she only seems to come out at night.
Plus, I've included a photo of her in the daytime in a
corner under the deck -- she is very shy, it seems. I have
no clue if she's male or female, but I'm making the call.
Thanks,
Johanna, Warwick, R.I., USA
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14 September, 2007:
Hi!
Can you identify this spider for us? It was found in the
mountains of Southwestern Montana. Nobody seems to know what
it is.
Sara
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8 August, 2007:
Thank you very much for an exciting web site, Spiderzrule. I
finally found it after looking for identification of a spider I
found today, August 7, 2007, a Shamrock Orb Weaver. Never seen
one before and it gave my wife quite a fright (still does). The
color and markings are fairly explicit in the photograph. It's
body size would be approximately 1/2 inches long with the
diameter with legs when still approximately the size of a
quarter (coin) - when moving the spider's whole diameter is that
of a dollar coin. We live in Grayling, Michigan, in a
rural area. The spider was dangling from a long silk thread
approximately 4 feet off the ground on the side of our garage.
There were no obvious webs around or near the spider. The
weather was in the mid 80s & very humid. Wife's lived here for 8
years and never seen one either. You are welcome to publish the
attached image. If you need the image larger, please reply back
with specifics. Doug Meroney
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28 July, 2007:
Hi! My 3 yr old son came
upon this 8 legged, prickly
looking creature outside of
our basement door. After
looking at your site, I
thought maybe it was a Crab
Spider? But, the ones
listed on your site seem to
make their homes in
flowers. There is not a
flower in site on the back
side of our house, and his
web has been made on the
glass door. The coloring
and size seems different
than the crab spiders I saw
on your site as well. This
spider is about the size of
a quarter. We live in the
mountains of South-Central
PA.
Thanks for your help!
Whitney |
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27 July, 2007:
My daughters found this spider on our deck steps today - the
body is approximately 1/2 - 3/4" long and the legs are hairy -
the abdomen is buttery yellow with 4 distinct circles on the
back - circles are yellow, but outlined with black. We have
never seen a spider like this before - we live in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan. Thanks for any help! Sheila
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22 July, 2007:
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8 July, 2007:
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30 May, 2007:
I have this spider living above my front door of a second floor
apartment in San Antonio , TX. It is quite pretty and a wed like
I have never before seen. My worry is, I have a 5 year old
daughter, and worry for all our safety. Am I wasting time with
the worry, or do I have reason?
Chris
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29 September, 2006:
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22 September, 2006:
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22 September, 2006:
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21 September, 2006:
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18 September, 2006:
I took this picture early this morning (from
Burlington , Ontario ) and thanks to your site I
think I know what it is, but may I ask for your
confirmation? Is this a Garden Orb spider? It’s
body was about the size of a dime, maybe a bit
bigger. Thanks very much and your site is
incredible. Best spider website around!
Lee-Ann Wylie
Click for a larger
view.
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18 September, 2006:
Hey, Glen!
Araneus nordmanni?
Araneus diadematus?
I"ve been trying to ID this baby all afternoon.
No definitive ID yet...?
30mm overall. Orb Weaver in window 12 feet above
sidewalk in Chicago.?
Thanks for your help and your great site!?
Cheers! ~Thor
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9 Sept, 2005:
What do you think of this rather beautiful spider? It was in
the bottom portion of an entryway into a school building in NE Ohio.
Maybe one of your site visitors will know.
Thanks, Phil |
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30 August, 2006:
you know what kind of spider this is?? |
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30 August, 2006:
I found this spider outside my window. Can you tell me what the heck it is?
It was about the size of a dime and had two white spots on it's underbelly. I
live in a suburb in St. Paul, MN. (very wooded and near a muddy lake)
I have other photos that aren't as good, plus a video. Let me know if you wanna
see those as well.
Thanks!
Melissa
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27 August, 2006:
What sort of spider is this?
Rick & Donna
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24 August, 2006:
Hello,
Just thought this was an interesting spider. Having visited
your site I thought you might find it interesting as well. I am
not sure what it is. I live on the Eastern side of Michigan
thumb area just to give you a general area of where it was
found. Thank you for your time.
Theresa
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18 June, 2006:
This type of spider shows up every year at the end of summer Central coastal
NJ. Thank you very much for responding to my e mail my daughter got a real
kick out of seeing my photo on your site thanks again.
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11 March, 2006:
I've attached a picture of a spider I found on on my patio
door last July... in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I'd never seen a
spider like it before, and have been wondering since then what it
might be. Just tonight I came across your page via Google and saw
the pictures of flower spiders. I think this might be what I have.
It was on the large end of the size scale- easily 10mm, and with
long legs (as you can see in the photo). Please feel free to use the
picture on your site if you like it. And thanks for helping identify
a mystery spider. Claudio |
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9 March, 2006:
Hi,
I came across your website by trying to identify a spider, which I photographed
in the summer of 2004 at Lynx Lake north of Anchorage/Alaska.Maybe you have an idea about its name.
Gerhard Bachmayer
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Reply: This is a shamrock orb
weaver and not considered medically significant.
31 January, 2006:
Glen , A friend
said I should show you this picture of a spider that was in my drive way
here in Kalamazoo
Michigan
. We looked
at the common spiders and did not see one that it resembled. Sorry if
this is a waste of your time.
Take care,
David
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Reply: This is a shamrock orb
weaver and not considered medically significant.
4 January, 2006:
Hi there,
I got your e-mail from your website and am hoping you can help me out. I
live in on a farm in rural Saskatchewan
, Canada
and found the spider in the attached picture crawling on my house. He
(or She) is about the size of a twoonie (our $2 coin). I think it may be
an orb weaver, but is such a different color than those that I’ve seen
pictured.
I would appreciate if you would be able to tell me what kind of spider
it is and if they are poisonous.
Samantha English
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Hi, I found this guy grossing my yard the other day and got a
couple of pictures of him/her? So far no luck identifying it but
thought maybe you and others may injoy seeing it. If any can I.D. it
let me know. Buy the way I am in mid michigan. |
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28 December, 2005:
thanks to your site i was able to identify this pumpkin
spider! was seen on my porch around Halloween time, in Oakland,
California. You can of course publish the photos on your site! keep
the good work!
Marion |
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4 November, 2005:
Greetings,
I live in Kamloops, British Columbia. This spider was found this
fall. I believe it is a orb weaver spider. Can anyone confirm this..
species anyone? many thanks in advance
Robson |
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4 November, 2005:
Thought you might like to
add this to your wonderful collection of photos. This is a pumpkin
spider, found in the San Ramon Valley of Northern California at
8:30pm on 11/02/05. I will embed these photos as well as attach them
for your use. This spider has been caught gently, kept comfortably
for observation overnight, and released this morning from where it
came. They are beneficial and should never be killed. |
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17 October, 2005:
Hi. I live in Des Moines, Ia and my wife found this spider
walking across the driveway. It looks to be an orbweaver -
(shamrock spider?) comparing it to a photo on your site. It
was a relatively fast mover,
but when I blew on it, it curled up and rolled onto its back (see
photo) Anyway, I feel confident that it's harmless after
looking at your site. Could you verify this for me? Beautiful
spider, though.
Thanks,
-Dave |
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10
October, 2005:
I think this is a araneus orb weaver, male or female ? could
you let me know what type of spider it is? |
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13 October, 2005:
I rescued this spider from my husband and place it in my
garden after a few photos.
I think it is a wolf spider but would love to know if it isn’t. It
was found in Roseville, MI, USA |
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October, 2005:
i hope you like this picture of a spider i found inside an
old car. i got as close as i could without degrading the quality.
hes a hairy
one. enjoy
Click for a larger view. |
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26
Sept, 2005:
This was (and still is) on the side of my house here in
southeaster michigan, do you know what kind of spider it is?
thanks,
laura sweet |
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26
Sept, 2005:
Glen, We live in Rochester, NY (upstate) in a heavily wooded
development close to Lake Ontario. Recently, I've seen four or five
of these spiders in webs in the garden and in quiet, undisturbed
areas around the outside of the house. Fortunately, I haven't seen
one inside the house yet - and I hope not to. When it's spread out
in its web, I'd say it's about one to two inches across. Can you
check it out and let me know what you think it might be? I'm sure
it's not all that dangerous since upstate NY doesn't have a whole
lot of spiders that could be called "poisonous". I'm more curios
than anything
else. Pics attached. Thanks, Rich |
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22 Sept, 2005:
I found this spider in my flower bed and I would like to know
what it is. I live in Michigan and the spider was about the size of
a nickel.
Thanks
Errica
eshanaha@gpjco.com |
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20 September, 2005:
I know little about spiders but nonetheless find them to very
interesting. I took these photos today but I have no idea what kind
of spider this is and why it has such a huge abdomen. My friend and
I speculated that it may be a pregnant female but I have since
learned that females make an egg sac. Can you tell me anything about
this little beauty. Thank you, Murray |
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larger view. |
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7 Sept, 2005:
Good Afternoon Sir, I hope you can identify this guy (girl?).
He was clinging to my screen door last Saturday night around 9 PM
when I let the dog in. He was about the size of a mature 'Writing
Spider' or 'Garden Spider' ...like this one . I imagine he was
hunting...but...the thought of him over-wintering in my home was
more than I could bare...! He resembles a flower spider, well his
abdomen only...his legs were definately not crab like...all pointed
toward the front...his were more like a tunnel spider's legs...he
was actually very beautiful... Do you know what he is? Teresa K.
Logsdon Ohio |
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19 August, 2005:
Please tell me what you can about this guy living under our
deck. We are in Milford Michigan. That thing on his rear is about
the size of an oyster cracker. I don't know to enjoy watching him or
to end him (or her) Thanks a ton, please email as soon as you
can..... Jill |
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19 August, 2005:
could you tell me what type of spider this is? I never see
one like this before.
thank you, sunny |
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8 August, 2005:
Glen, We are located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We found an
interesting orb weaver in our flower garden attached to a lily. It
is a great picture and I thought you might like to add it to your
collection. We think it is a Shamrock Spider. Seems the same except
the belly is red not green. Can you confirm? This lad was big!!
Dwight
and Connie JohnsonLovely
pics, click for a larger view. |
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Reply:
That looks like Araneus
trifolium, the shamrock spider, too.
24
October, 2004:
My The most beautiful
spider....but what is it? |
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Reply:
That is Araneus
trifolium, the shamrock spider.
Nathan Hepworth
24
October, 2004:
My daughter found this
spider in our driveway last Sunday. We have never seen anything like
this before. What is it? Julie |
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