a journal about spiders found around Western PA
It was a warm, sunny day in the outskirts of the city. The windows were open and the sheer curtains were billowing in the breeze. The day was lazy with the cats perched on the window sills, ears and tails twitching. I was digging around in my supplies when I heard the strangest sound. It... 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 →
False WIDOW? Right away, people get nervous about the name. It's the perfect cue for scary music and another reason to be afraid of spiders. But it's not. The first thing everyone wants to know is, "Are they venomous?" All spiders, except for the family Uloboridae are venomous, so when an article boasts, "VENOMOUS SPIDERS... 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 →
What the heck is "Spider Camp"?? It popped up this past spring (2018) on the American Arachnological Society facebook page: "Spider Biology summer course at Stone Lab (Ohio State University) - can be taken as a workshop". I applied immediately. This endeavor instantly became my summer highlight. I could not wait! I have never taken a... Continue Reading →
Last July, at a spider presentation in Sarver, PA, an enthusiastic mom/daughter scavenger hunt team found an orb weaving spider with her egg sac. They found a lot of other cool spiders, too - I should've asked if they'd be willing to go with me on every spider hunt. Since the spider was displaced and seemed... 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 →
It ain't roaches.
Spider hunting isn't as fun in winter because the spiders are "gone". Where'd they go? Before yinz say they all came into the house, let me assure you, spiders have already figured this out. "Any North American spider that needed artificial shelter for the winter, would have been extinct long before Europeans arrived!" - Rob Crawford... Continue Reading →
Spiders lay eggs. Depending on species, they can lay thousands of eggs or just one single egg as is the case with the tiny spiders in the genus Monoblemma (found in tropical Africa and tropical Americas). The featured image above shows the egg sac of Argiope aurantia (AKA banana spider, garden spider, Steelers spider) on the left... Continue Reading →
Back in the day, I used to catch spiders and keep them in pickle jars that still smelled like pickles. I would use a kitchen steak knife to punch holes in the lids. I still have a scar between my thumb and index finger from missing once. I would toss grass in 'ere, label the... Continue Reading →
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