A reader recently asked, “What type of garden spider is building those huge webs in my garden?”

The Spider
With six small diamonds for his eye,
He walks upon the summer skies,
Drawing from his silken blouse,
The lacework of his dwelling house.
” Robert P. Tristram Coffin

In the late summer and early fall, just in time for Halloween, our gardens become the home of several different varieties of garden spiders, most notably the orb weaver spider that spins very large, round “orb-like” webs that can reach up to several feet across. Also known as the garden spider, the orb weaver is a member of the Araneidae spider family, which is one of the most varied species of spiders in the world.
Orb weavers come in a variety of colors, some with different markings on their bodies, and their sizes can range from a quarter-of-an-inch to more than 1 inch. Most of the orb weavers I’ve observed in my garden have been either brown or black, with white or golden yellow stripes on their bodies.
The orb weaver is a lie-in-wait predator who sits in the center of its web, head down, with its eight legs tucked in, which gives it the appearance of having an almost crab-like body. When disturbed or ready to move in on their captured prey, the spider will unfurl its long legs and that is when you will see how large these spiders really are.
The orb weavers have an annual lifespan, reaching full maturity in the fall. In most orb weaver species, it is the female who weaves and sits in the web. Males will visit the female’s web when they are searching for a mate, and will either reside in a nearby hiding place or build a smaller web at the corner of their chosen mate’s web.
In the fall, the female orb weaver will lay hundreds of eggs that she hides away in a protective silken sack. As the cooler days of winter begin, the mature orb weavers die, but their young will emerge from their egg sack in the warmth of the spring and make their way into the garden.
Juvenile orb weavers will usually go unnoticed, but they grow rapidly and by the end of the summer they will have grown into the large, efficient garden predators we now see in our gardens.
Although their size can be somewhat intimidating, the orb weaver is a docile, non-aggressive spider and is said to be harmless to humans. They do possess fangs and can bite if threatened, but their bite is not considered to be serious and I have read that it can be compared to a bee sting. This said, it should be noted that some people could be allergic to the spider’s bite. In most cases, if bothered, the orb weaver will retreat from its web and seek refuge in a nearby hiding place.
While you will see their large webs during the day, especially in the early morning when they are covered in dew, the orb weaver is a nocturnal creature and builds its web in the twilight and evening hours, usually near lights that attract insects.
While they share many common features with insects, the spider is not an insect, but is from a family of animals called arachnids ” hence the term arachnophobia, a fear of spiders. The arachnid family includes scorpions, ticks and mites; they have eight legs and do not have wings or antennae.
I must admit that for a very long time I was not pleased to meet up with large eight-legged creatures in my garden, but after years of working there, I have gotten over my arachnophobia and I now appreciate how these skillful predators benefit our environment. The orb weaver consumes many of our most irritating garden pests, even termites; in fact, spiders in general kill more insects than all the other garden predators combined. This time of year, I cautiously venture out into the garden each morning with my broom in hand, and when I find a web intricately constructed across my garden path, I gently move it aside. Some of the spiders have even gotten the hint and have placed their webs higher and away from the busy pathway.
Orb weavers and their webs capture much more than insects ” they have also captured the imagination and are said to be the spiders that inspired the E. B. White book, “Charlotte’s Web.” So, when you are in your garden and happen upon a friendly spider, take a moment to marvel at the beautiful architecture of her web and remember this old Quaker saying, “If you want to thrive, let the spider run alive.”

” Linda is a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker who specializes in historic and architecturally designed homes. She is one of the co-founders of the Secret Garden Tour of Old La Jolla and enjoys working in her historic La Jolla garden; www.LindaMarrone.com.