Spiders play an important role in garden ecology
- Herb Broda: Nature Notebook
- July 18, 2018
- 1925
OK, I get it. Spiders may not be your vote for Critter of the Year, but their dewy garden webs on a summer morning are still pretty awesome. Even more fascinating is the complex spider engineering that created that garden art.
Many of the spiders we now see in gardens and fields are orbweaving spiders. They get their name from the circular (orb-shaped) web they create. If you spot a spiral web that looks like a Halloween decoration, you probably have an orbweaver in your garden.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources lists 15 Ohio spiders as orbweavers. They play an important role in garden ecology and are not considered to be dangerous to humans, so there is no need to remove them or hurt them in any way.
Black and yellow garden spiders are the easiest orbweavers to see. The females are large and can have a leg span of nearly 2.5 inches (certainly not the itsy-bitsy spider of nursery rhyme fame). They should be visible until the first heavy autumn frost. The males are tiny, however, and harder to find. Often there will be one or more males in webs close to the female.
The web-weaving begins as the spider floats a strand of silk to nearby vegetation. Threads of strong, nonsticky silk create a radial framework. Temporary strands are spun to guide the process of adding the sticky, insect-catching strands but are destroyed when no longer needed.
The circular, sticky strands create a spider cafeteria with specials changing daily. The spider walks on the nonsticky strands and also can sit in the center hub of the web, which also is nonstick.
The whole process takes about one hour. What makes this even more incredible is that orbweavers often have poor eyesight and must rely on their sense of touch to build their intricate webs.
Even more jaw-dropping is the fact that many of these spiders eat their webs in the evening and produce a new web for the next day. That’s a lot of effort just to keep the place tidy.
Here’s a little-known spider factoid. If you read "Charlotte’s Web" as a child, you were actually learning some entomology. The author, E.B. White, was referring to the barn orbweaver spider. The book includes this dialogue:
“My name," the spider said, “is Charlotte.”
“Charlotte what?” Wilber asked eagerly.
“Charlotte A. Cavatica. But just call me Charlotte.”
The ODNR Common Spiders of Ohio Field Guide goes on to say that Charlotte’s first name and middle initial refer to the common barn spider Araneus cavaticus, which was called Aranea cavatica when the book was published in 1952, before the Latin was corrected.
A summer to-do list
Here are a few ideas for making the most of summer and the outdoors. Hopefully you have done one or more already.
Connect with your food. Visit a farmer’s market or a roadside produce stand. Later in the season, stop by a local orchard that offers pick-your-own fruit.
A colorful place to visit is the Farmer’s Produce Auction near Mt. Hope. Local growers bring their products, often by buggy and cart. The huge variety of fruits and vegetables creates a spectacular display of color and shape. The auction is designed mainly for purchases by the truckload or semi load, not for individuals. Buyers from local stores, both large and small, rely on the auction for locally sourced produce. The auction operates every weekday morning except Wednesday. Check the website for details.
Have a picnic. Create summer memories with a picnic in the backyard or at a local park. Plan the menu as a family, but if time is a factor, pick up some prepared food, pack along a Frisbee or two, and toss in a blanket: instant picnic.
Cloud shapes. Don’t let summer pass without just looking up at the sky and imagining what the cloud shapes look like. Extra points if you are flat on your back.
Visit a park. Choose a local park or nature center that you have heard about but haven’t visited or return to a favorite.
Look for fireflies. This should be prime time to see fireflies, so try to catch the nightly show. Warm and humid nights are perfect.
Contact Herb Broda at 4nature.notebook@gmail.com.