a journal about spiders found around Western PA
How exciting! If you're reading this I guess it worked! This post goes out to anyone who has seen this scary headline in its many shapes and forms about the introduced Joro spider (Trichonephila clavata). If you clicked these colorfully titled articles because it freaked you out, then you fell for it hook, line, and... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 love Pittsburgh, but I'd love it even more if there was a northern version of this spider! Large, gentle, and a velvety chocolate brown (can range to black), this spider reminds me of a mini tarantula. The scientific name is even great - Kukulcania hibernalis. I know it looks crazy to say, but this... 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 →
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 →
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 →
One of the most difficult questions I am asked is, "What's your favorite spider?" I never have a consistent answer to this and usually go with what is holding my attention at the moment. In this moment, my favorite spider is hands-down, the crab spider. There are about 130 of them found in North America.... Continue Reading →
Spiders are arachnids. Depending on what source you look at, there are 10-12 different types of arachnids. Spiders are one type of arachnid or one order with the fancy name Araneae (pronounced a-RA-nee-ee). All arachnids have eight legs, two body parts (sometimes fused to look like one), never any antennae, and never any wings. In addition... Continue Reading →
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