Blog Post for Luis

 

young Leucague venusta

25 May 2021

Luis asked me to put spider photos up on my blog. Here ya go, Luis!

Big Mama, the largest of our porch-dwelling Parasteatoda, made it through the winter, wandered around the corner for a few weeks, ate another spider or two, and then sauntered off. I haven't seen a single Parasteatoda in that corner since May 15.

For a handful of days in mid-April, Eustace the Eustala anastera (a humpback orb weaver) lived between two dead branches of the rose bush that Captain Red-Butt occupied last fall. Eustace ate some bugs and moved on.

Alice, the Steatoda borealis we got to know last summer, spent a few minutes over on the door opposite the Parasteatoda side.

I wasn't sure it was her until I found her again, back in her upper corner near the door, where she still hides if the back door slams too hard.

Remember all those juveniles with red bellies? I never bothered to figure out what they were until I found this one on the outside of the porch. All those red-bellies were baby Leucauge venusta, orchard orb weavers.

This one was around for a few days, long enough to get a name: Luke (of course). Luke was maybe a centimeter with legs extended.

When you're this tiny, every meal is supersized.

I found another one over by the rose bush. This is a popular place for spiders. Greenie here is a little bigger; her legs are turning green and her abdomen has more colors.

Orchard orb weavers are everywhere. I've lost count. Princeton can have its cicadas. I have orchard orb weavers.

Tonight I watched Greenie build her web. Her motion is different from last summer's Rosie (the Hentz orb weaver, Neoscona crucifera, who started this whole spider obsession). Greenie makes little circles. Weave-two-three-pause. I tried to time my shutter clicks with the pauses. It didn't work. Greenie is too fast. 

And then there's whatever this is. It's the size of Cyclosa conica, the trashline orbweaver, but I could only see it from one side, and there wasn't any trash in the line. 

Better now, Luis?

You're welcome.