100 More Species #23: Orchard Orbweaver

[urbpan]

Orchard orbweaver Leucage venusta

The orchard orbweaver is a beautiful little spider striped with silver, yellow, and green. Some individuals have orange spots on their undersides; variations within the species were once taken to be different species entirely but they have been conflated. They are a woodland species, but the edges of shrubbery in the suburbs seem to suit them fine; they range from southern Canada to Central America. One source notes that, when disturbed, the orchard orbweaver drops from its web to the ground. This second photo shows my subject in the process of, but not quite committed to this behavior. Perhaps it is reluctant to drop its morsel of insect, still enfanged.

Comments

[elizaeffect.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I saw one of these while bushwhacking through an actual woodland in Ohio when I was a teen, but it sure as hell didn't seem "little". Scared the shit out of me and I gave it a wide berth.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

They top out at about 3/4 of an inch for large females, but if it scared you...

[elizaeffect.livejournal.com]

Maybe it was another, similarly colored but more ginormous, species. It was doing that thing where they lie in a straight line with some legs behind and some in front, which could also have contributed to the size perception. But yes, I'm not gonna lie, I find spiders terrifying, especially when they're hovering right at face level in the middle of the woods.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an Argiope orbweaver maybe.

[elizaeffect.livejournal.com]

Oh jesus. Well, I remember iridescent green really clearly. Now you've got me curious. If I think I've found whatever-it-was I'll report back. :)