It says they eat stink bugs. And they’re cute. (In a TROMP TROMP TROMP “I be Spiderzilla and I coming for your stinkybugs” kind of way)
Could be worse:
Woud this be a joro spider?
I don’t think so. The color patterns don’t look right to me.
See the bottom photo in this set for side views of the same spider at three different stages.
Well, great.
I’m 3 states away.
Yeah, I’m moving.
Goodbye, Arkansas!
looks like a Golden Orb Weaver (Nephila species)
Preach it, P.Z.!
Discovered a new Joro tonight. This is my first since the original in 2021 (and still relatively small).
This year I ended up with a number of Joro, half a dozen or more. And the last one is surprisingly still alive.
Here it is in a photo from November 22nd, when it had already survived a couple of nights in the low 20s F.
And here it is today, having made it into the new year.
Note there is a close relative which already lives in the southeast, Trichonephila clavipes, common name is the Golden Silk Spider. The “smaller” spiders in a given web may be the male mate to the dimorphically larger female, for both species.
Really attractive spider!
The last Joro finally died in the last few days. It managed to stay dangling in the web, which I hoped would happen so that I could find it for closeups. The abdomen has already began to develop cracks. It must have been pretty empty inside since its last meal must have been several weeks ago.
The way their colors fade when they die is startling.
So this year I have at least 6 adult females along the path I normally walk through my yard (and have to remember to duck under). Definitely got to be more undiscovered elsewhere. That’s pretty typical for this part of South Carolina now, with them being pretty much anywhere there are suitable spots to spread their webs. Anyone seeing them in your area now where you didn’t 2 or 3 years ago?