Dang! Spiders are sweet
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A garden spider is a garden spider. The common name, writing spider, is a local common name. If you looked it up in a spider book. it would be called the Golden or Orange Garden Spider, and that name has been used in books for 50 years that I know of. The scientific name is the one you need to know; Argiope aurantia.
Writing spider comes from the large zig zag webbing it uses in its web.
Writing spider comes from the large zig zag webbing it uses in its web.
So much spider talk...I feel very uneducated when it comes to the arachnids
Don't feel bad. I know black widows and their relatives because I studied them because of my own interest. Garden spiders because I only saw one Garden spider, and was curious, and false widows (House spiders) shiny black, no hourglass, for the same reason. Funnel web spiders because they have NO sense of humor, whistleing spiders because they're so darn big, and BAD!!!!! Beyond a tarantula or two, the rest of the spider world, bolas spiders, and jumping species notwithstanding, I know no more. You will study more, remember it better, and never forget, when the interest you have is a really strong one.
You make some really good points Bugweed. Take CPs for example. I know so much about CPs because I love them and can read about them for hours on end. Microbiology, on the other hand, is something I despise so I don't remember anything about it, even after attending a lecture and reading an entire chapter on it
Another local name. Australian Spider. Desert dweller. Big as a pancake. Told about it from my Aussie mother-in-law. Your guess is as good as mine on the scientific name.
Just wrote the mom-in-law. She said "whistling spider", not whispering. I always get that one wrong. I keep calling it the whispering spider. Quite large.
Just wrote the mom-in-law. She said "whistling spider", not whispering. I always get that one wrong. I keep calling it the whispering spider. Quite large.
Hey BW- From what I have learned about the genus Latrodectus, there are 5 named species in the US.[b said:
L. mactans (Southern Black Widow) range from southern New Engand to Florida, west to Texas and Kansas. More common in the southern part of the range.
L. variolus (Northern Black Widow) range from New England to adjacent Canada, south to Florida and west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. More common in the northern range.
L. hesperus (Western Black Widow) Found throughout California. Range from western portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, north to adjacent Canadian provinces and west to Pacific Coast states.
Two other species - L. bishopi (Red Widow) and L. geostricus (Brown Widow) are typically restricted to a more southern distribution, ie. southern Texas, central/south Florida.
Here in California we have 3 named species of the giant orb weavers; genus: Argiope.
A.aurantia (Golden Garden Spider), A. trifasciata (Banded Garden Spider) and A. argentata (Silver Orb Spider), the most beautiful of them all. The former species is more resticted to a southern range; San Luis Obispo county onward south. I have both other species: A. aurantia and A. trifasciata in my garden currently.
They're very difficult to find because they belnd in so well with the shrubs and bushes they spin their webs in. They are also not very abundant if the food sources are minimal. I get them here every year probably because of all the pitcher plants and the constant buzzing activity from flies, bees, etc., but never really see them until the big females move in around this time of year. They tend to catch lots of bees and skippers.
Just thought I'ld share.
Bug, actually those garden spiders are fairly common here in the northeast section of Montana. i see a few of them a year. they seem to really like my moms tomatoe plants and will string a web between a couple of the biggest plants almost every year. i see them in other areas on a fairly regular basis too.
PlantAKiss
Moderator Schmoderator Fluorescent fluorite, Engl
Well I've had one of my questions answered before I posted it. I found an egg sack in my garden and I was wondering what made it. NOW I know. And in fact, I found 2 more yesterday that were not there the last time I was weeding in my garden so there are 3 egg cases out there.
I have some really good photos of it which I will try post because the construction of it is fascinating.
I also read somewhere that a spider's web is one of the strongest materials on earth...stronger than steel and other metals (relatively speaking).
I have some really good photos of it which I will try post because the construction of it is fascinating.
I also read somewhere that a spider's web is one of the strongest materials on earth...stronger than steel and other metals (relatively speaking).
You're quite right Suzanne. It has been found that the silk produced from the giant Golden Silk Spiders, genus: Nephila, is 5 times stronger than bullet proof kevlar and is now being synthesized in laboratories as a potential material for replacing it. Statstics show that if the silk strands from these spiders was as thick as a pencil the web could stop a jet airplane in mid flight. Now THAT is strong.[b said:
one thing to keep in mind though, while it may be stronger than steel it is many many times more elastic and gets alot of its strength from being able to stretch out and absorb an impact. i doubt it on its own will replace kevlar because of this, however if it was interwoven with the less elastic kevlar it should increase its effectiveness several times over.
Very true. The elasticity of the web comes from the distance between which the strands are woven, thus creating the stretch ability. The studies have shown that if synthesized web is woven into a tight network fiber...much like natural silk moth silk is created into clothing, the action created is more like a trampoline and high/fast impact objects are simply propelled away. I'm not completely sure, but I think kevlar absorbs impacted objects rather than propelling them away. Is this true?[b said:
Anyhow the theory is fascinating.
i believe your right. the question is though how much of a trampoline effect to you want on your body? more than an inch or two could cause serious damage even without it actually penetrating. i think they are going to have to do a blend of the two to get the best results. you are right though. the theory is quite facinating.
