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Comments & ID Thoughts
Cross orb-weaver I think she's had her babies. I photographed her a week or so ago too.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Nov 7, 2018
- Photographed: Nov 7, 2018
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes:
Isn’t she beautiful
She looks great! I didn’t realize that cross orbweavers can have gold silk. Google ‘golden silk spider cape’ for an idea of what you can do with millions of gold silk weaver spiders and a lot of time on your hands.
I will definitely look that up. Sadly she has passed away. I went to check on her and her eggs tonight and she wasn’t moving so I gently nudged her and could see she was gone. Her body is still nestled over her nest it almost brought me to tears. I don’t know much about spider reproduction so I’m not sure when her eggs will hatch. I check on them almost every day.
I’m sorry about your spider. You couldn’t have changed that fate of her biological clock. The eggs should hatch in the spring. She did her job of guarding them while predatory insects and spiders were active. They should go outdoors now. Freezing is okay for the eggs. A place in a high spot, like a small tree or the inner corner of a porch roof or under the roof of a shed, garage or barn would be great. If they don’t stick in place you can put them in a tiny basket or hammock. Orbweavers like upper right angles for… Read more »
Thank you, I’ve been watching her for sometime and got a bit attached. Her body is still nestled over her eggs, it breaks my heart to see her like that but, she did her job and I understand that’s the circle of life. Her eggs are outside tucked way in the upper corner of my porch. They’re in a good safe spot where I can watch them closely. I really hope they make it through the winter. I’ll be so happy to see her babies emerge in the spring. I hope I can get pictures. It would be even better… Read more »
Nothing wrong with being a nerd! I did go into the biology career route. I became disabled from a massive brain injury 2 years into my career and had to resign. For the next 20 years I’ve been rebuilding my abilities into the other hemisphere of my brain. Many doctors and nurses said that it is an opportunity to input new abilities rapidly while my brain is rewiring. I use volunteer work to custom recreate myself while being beneficial. I’m strengthening my visual memory and short-term memory by memorizing the images of species and their binomial names. I have a… Read more »
Furthermore….state governments and some towns have the best nature guides I have found. They’ll be about your area, often there will be species guides and habitat guides. Many universities have great free guides too. When you feel confident about a topic you can be a tutor or guest speaker for schools and clubs. I live next-to a summer camp for kids from low-income families. They appreciate volunteer assistance. So, go for it, nerds are cool!