The Dreamy Orb Weaver
By Andrea Peck
Every year, around this time, we swear that we will take “garden walks” after dark. And every year, without fail, we are thwarted. It's not the dark or cold, nor rain or sleet. No, it's those big, fat orange spiders that assume Reign over the garden. They are there during the day, but right around twilight, as the borders of large structures, such as trees and fence posts, become blurred, the spiders step out from their home and lie in wait. We capitulate, allowing them charge, by running stealthily back indoors, wringing our hands and opting instead for hot chocolate.
The orb weaver spider is one large Marge. This year I noticed a light orange one just on the outskirts of our patio hanging from a tree. The round web is a dead giveaway. It is the sort of web you construct on your own as a Halloween decoration—round and symmetrically formed from the center. This particular spider has a little sideways slant going on probably because the tree she has latched onto is losing its leaves and has a scattering of branches. When I go out at night to listen for rats in the same tree, which in and of itself, is a real treat, I visit my spider. She seems to be getting larger by the minute. It's as if she is coming closer and closer. Perspective, you know. No matter how prepared I am to see her with my flashlight in hand, she shocks me a little bit, sending chills into the chilly air.
I am pretty sure my spider is a ‘she' because the female has a large, should I say, imposing, abdomen. Probably she is gravid, which I just learned is the term for “with young.” I suppose I should get ready for the arrival of little friendly orb weavers. The male tends to be darker, though the color can range a bit, from yellow to beige. My girl is orangey, somewhat strawberry blonde in color. No wonder she is in the family way-- in the spider world she is likely quite the catch. This morning she was nowhere to be found. I looked around with some determination, despite the fear that she may be in my hair and finally found her in the alcove of a leaf. She had handily used her spinning skills to create a purse-shaped bed for herself. I threw a thin stick onto the web, surprisingly it stuck and she darted out quick as a whip. Mean, of me, I know. I'm sure Karma will come find me later. That is how I discovered her home.
Of course, spiders are nocturnal, so while I was wondering “where do spiders go during the day,” the entire lot is sleeping. Survival of the species would take a turn for the worst if they slept in the center of their webs, like sitting ducks, in the middle of the day. Apparently, these spiders build a ‘signal web' which alerts them to prey while they are off snoozing—hence the spider's rapid response to the stick.
The following facts might pique your interest…
- Orb spiders eat their web daily and then build another.
- Spiders hatch from eggs. They look pretty much like tiny spiders, although their color may change as they grow. They shed their exoskeleton each time they grow.
- Orb spiders live longer in tropical environments—they don't tolerate freezing weather. In warm environments they live a year or a bit longer.
- Despite the fact that they have 8 eyes, they do not see well. They communicate through touch, web vibrations and chemical signals.
- These spiders are low on the food chain. Though they are useful as pest control in the garden, they are also heavily predated on by predatory and parasitic wasps, other spiders, birds, and beetles (beetles forage on the eggs).
- Charlotte, the spider in Charlotte's web, was an orb weaver spider.