Orchard Spider

The Orchard Spider is a member of the long-jawed orb weaver family Tetragnathidae. These spiders are widespread throughout the eastern United States. Male orchard spiders are typically shorter than females, measuring between 3.5 and 7.5 millimeters in length. Their sides and legs are a striking shade of leaf green. Their tops are silver with black and brown stripes, while the undersides have black and yellow spots. Near the back of their abdomens, they also have brilliant yellow, orange, or red spots.

Orchard spiders frequently dangle from their horizontally arranged webs facing downward. As their name suggests, they frequently construct their webs in woody settings, including artificial ones like orchards. They feed on a variety of garden pests, and humans are not threatened by their bite. As a result, many people consider them beneficial and like to keep them around.

Intriguingly, Orchard Spiders exhibit a remarkable behavior of daily web recycling. At the end of each day, they consume their entire web, reabsorbing silk proteins and nutrients, and rebuild their webs from scratch just before dawn. This resourceful and efficient approach maximizes the utility of their silk for capturing prey. Their agility and speed in immobilizing prey by wrapping them in silk before delivering a venomous bite demonstrate their effective hunting strategies. Their attractive appearance, beneficial role, and fascinating behaviors make them valued and admired additions to natural environments and human-made settings.