a journal about spiders found around Western PA
Pittsburgh, with all of our hills and valleys, is rumored to have the most public, city steps of any city in the country. As we zoom into the south shore of the Monongahela River, most of the steps are concentrated in what is known as the Southside neighborhood. My home-hood, Beechview, comes in second place.... Continue Reading →
I don't expect to find many spiders in Pittsburgh during February, but right in front of me in the middle of a snowy trail I found a ghost spider. Ghost spiders are harmless, roaming hunters that are most often found on vegetation. Their average size is 3 - 8.5 mm depending on species. They are... Continue Reading →
It's hard to find spiders in winter around here. During winter hikes, I casually search by peeking beneath loose bark and flipping over an occasional rock or log (and putting it back in place after). Sometimes, I get lucky. Most of the time I find nothing. The types of spiders I most often DO find... Continue Reading →
There's a reason I don't have many blogs about the family Salticidae (salt-TISS-id-ee) AKA jumping spiders. These active, fuzzy spiders are SO mobile that I've always felt badly about keeping them cooped up inside a container. Plus, they have more anthropomorphic qualities than other spiders with those big eyes looking at me as they pace... Continue Reading →
Why are we afraid of spiders? Are we born with this fear? Is it a result of evolutionary selection - that we get a distinct and uncontrollable fear response very much like that time a black bear crossed my path at camp? Is it conditioned? Are we "taught" to fear spiders from our parents/guardians? I... Continue Reading →
Seemingly, out of nowhere, a spider showed up in the kitchen. It was not an escapee (disclaimer). I watched, quietly amused, as he (swollen palps = male) busily traveled up the vertical wall, across the ceiling and down the other side of the kitchen in the time of about 7 minutes. I let him go about... Continue Reading →
Second to snakes, spiders are the most feared animals when it comes to phobias. They seem to have superpowers like hyper speed, materializing out of nowhere (or vanishing), invisible webs, and they're venomous (these are the top four things I've gathered from people who really don't like spiders). With all of that scariness in mind, it's hard... Continue Reading →
"How do spiders always seem to come back to the same place after I vacuum?" a friend asked. I knew what she meant because I've seen the same thing in my own house. I never really paid attention to these spiders as far as how many or how often they return after vacuuming. They just... Continue Reading →
Have you ever seen a fairly flat, mat-like web that spreads out from a funnel with a spider sitting at the opening of the funnel? I've heard kids call it a "cyclone web", which is a cool description. The web is actually a funnel web and the spider in it is called a funnel web... Continue Reading →
Lynx is plural for lynx (I had to double check). I'll be writing about 3 lynx. One lynx is not a local. Lynx spiders are active hunters which can be found among grasses and woody shrubs in the day as well as night. The family name is Oxyopidae (pronounced ox-ee-OPP-idee) but lynx is so much easier and... Continue Reading →
Just like a birder actively seeks out birds, I'm always on the look out for spiders. Most of the time, I look passively meaning I'm not using a sweep net or other trapping technique. Sometimes, the spiders simply find me. I have been that weirdo in the middle of the store aisle trying to... Continue Reading →
My hope is to inspire interest in spiders through storytelling. Spiders are so amazing and diverse! I have A LOT of fascinating information that needs to be shared out! Take this lady, for instance - one of the "cellar spiders" in the Pholcidae family. Specifically, Crossopriza lyoni. One of my students found her in his mom's office in... Continue Reading →
SpiderMentor 