My Spiders Are Missing!

   My spiders have gone missing!  At least, most of them have.  There are still a few that are alive and well but most have done their thing for this season.   I am referring to the Golden Silk Orb Weavers that seemed to be out in full force this year.  It has been years since there have been more than one or two but this spring saw hundreds of the hand-sized critters stringing webs everywhere.  Now, the webs sit empty.  The spiders have already created their golden orbs filled with eggs.  The females have done their duty and have died leaving me with a profound sense of emptiness.  I love these spiders and the service they do for us in ridding the place of so many mosquitoes.

 Down behind the greenhouse, there is still one large female Orb Weaver that appears to be full of life, yet.  Why she is so late while all of the others have completed their tasks?  In fact, she is not late.  The others were early.  Usually, it is late September before the egg sacs are filled and the mother spider dies.  The one near the greenhouse seems to be right on time. 

  Does the early demise of the Orb Weavers foretell of an early autumn?  Is there some way that the spiders can sense if inclement weather will interrupt their process?  Who knows?  I will miss my several hundred friends.

Several Hundred Spiderlings!

   While out in the garden this morning, a blotch on the back wall of the laundry room caught my eye.  Hmmm?  Why in the world was there a brown spot on my nicely painted house?  Grrr!  After all my hard work getting the painting complete, now something has to put a blemish on it!  Time to investigate.

  My blemish turned out to not be something terrible but something good, at least in my view.  An orb spider had chosen the corner of the back wall to be the spot for her egg sacs.  The golden orb had now come full term and a hundred or so baby spiders were huddled close to their previous home.  The spiderlings were waiting to get strong enough to disperse and find their own niche in this world. 

  The tiny spiders were not bigger than a pin head and were perfect replicas of their mother.  She was still nearby trying to guard her precious egg sacs but was weak and weary.  It was time for her to rest in peace knowing her little ones were out and about.  She will never see them reach maturity.

  While some folks would fret over the hundreds of baby spiders, it does not bother me.  In fact, I am happy to have them in the garden. They are free pest control and will bring me no harm as long as I give them space.  Too many people have a pointless fear of spiders and this comes from someone who has been bitten numerous times (even by highly venomous spiders).  If you respect them, they will be happy campers and leave you be. 

Spiderling Watch!

  The marsh is home to a myriad of critters that are not often seen.  We pass by hundreds of unseen critters every day.  However, one that is quite visible this time of year is the Argiope aurantia which is much better known as the black and yellow garden spider but also goes by writing spider or zipper spider.  During the months of July and August, the spiders are seen more often than other times of the year.  This is simply due to the fact that the females are now large enough to be noticed. These are huge spiders!  The females' body size is up to 1 1/8th inch not counting the legs.  One would fit nicely in the palm of the hand!  Males are much smaller and are rarely even noticed.  

  The female spins a gigantic web (two or more feet across) that can span garden paths, between trees or, in this case, in the marsh.  In the middle of the web, she weaves a "zipper" pattern (hence one of her common names).  There is some controversy about the purpose of this decorative weaving.  Some folks claim it attracts flying insects while other say it is to deter birds from flying through the web.  The female will stay in this web unless food is scarce.  The male usually "roams" in search of a willing female and then build a smaller web near hers. Once mated, the female will lay up to 1400 eggs that are housed in a papery egg sac.  This sac will be attached to her web and she will protect it as long as she can.  A late fall frost can kill her but the eggs remain safe inside the sac.  Sometimes the spiderlings will overwinter in the sac and emerge with the warmth of spring.  

  This spider will most likely do well catching prey in the marsh.  Instead of her fretting about an early frost, she has more worries of an extremely high tide from a tropical storm or hurricane.  If this occurs, Mama Spider will cling to her eggsac and float to higher ground.  If the storm surge is not too violent, she may make it to safety with her brood.  So goes life on the Bayou.  We all try to protect what is ours against the ravages of nature.  Now, I just have to sit back and wait!  Hopefully, Mama Spider will soon have her egg sac on the web and eventually....SPIDERLINGS!