a journal about spiders found around Western PA
Below are a dozen spider sacs pictured with their adult counterparts. The range is eastern US, mostly Western PA, but I frequently visit relatives in Florida and the Carolinas so there are some representatives from there. Most of the sacs pictured were made or hatched in captivity so I could get an identification. Sometimes, what... Continue Reading →
I typically don't write about tarantulas, but SpiderMentor wouldn't be SpiderMentor without mentioning Chandra, the chaco golden knee tarantula (Grammastola pulchripes), who was my go-to gal for educational programs and events. Sadly, she passed away this month (October 2023) of old age. With her large size and beautiful markings, she'd easily get everyone's attention and... Continue Reading →
Hazelwood Green is an urban brownfield that sits between the north shore of the Monongahela River and Irvine Street about 4 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. Its 178-acres have been revitalized while preserving relics from the area's steel industry. The roads and sidewalks have been built complete with trees and ornamental grasses, but most of... Continue Reading →
If you have a basement, like most of us in Western PA do, you probably have your very own population of these cool, harmless spiders. Commonly called barn funnel weavers, Tegenaria domestica are large (ten millimeters from head to abdomen), brown spiders that make flat webs with a tunnel in a corner or crevice. They... Continue Reading →
I walked into the kitchen the other day and there was a giant wolf spider right in the middle of the floor. My first thought was, who got loose, because I live on the third floor, far from the ground, and I have six wolf spiders right now. The one in the kitchen was a... Continue Reading →
Chapter One - Nah-uh (Pittsburghese for "No way") It may come as a relief to our locals in Western PA that recluse spiders (Loxosceles genus) are rarely found here. We are too far north of their natural range. Within the recluse spider's natural range, which is mostly the southern midwest, they are commonly found in... Continue Reading →
This is a story about luck, transformation, and opportunities (or the lack thereof) in the life of a peculiar spider, Neospintharus trigonum. These spiders are in the Theridiidae family AKA comb-footed spiders and/or cobweb spiders. I found one in my backyard (Pgh) in mid-May. I only spotted this speck of a spider because it was... Continue Reading →
Considering our current events, I thought this might be an interesting topic, although a good suggestion from my sister, "Do spiders poop?" is definitely something blog-able in the near future. These two topics may overlap on some level. I've witnessed a lot of spider deaths of various causes and sometimes spider poop is the last... Continue Reading →
Single male spider seeking mature female. Must have pitted carapace, be between 6 and 7 mm, and have white "T" marking on the front of the abdomen. Likes to hang out, do ropes courses, and enjoys romantic insect dinners at twilight.*** I was visiting family in the Jefferson Hills area south of Pittsburgh over the winter... Continue Reading →
The "slower" days of winter in the spider world aren't slower because there aren't any spiders to find, they're slower because they're harder to find. I did a few sweep net samples in November and December in Frick Park to see what was out there and scooped up some spiders that were new to me.... Continue Reading →
On a mild day at work in early April, a spider appeared seemingly out of nowhere (as they usually do) in the cafeteria. I could tell it was a wolf spider (family Lycosidae) by its shape and characteristic eye pattern, but I wasn't sure which kind. There are a whole bunch of wolf spiders in... Continue Reading →
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