![]() Some people perceive it as being diamond-shaped, though, which led to it’s other common name, the jewel spider. When viewed from the front, it’s abdomen gives the distinct impression of a cat’s face. John via Flickr | CC BY 2.0Īlso called the jewel spider, this is a orb-weaver that’s named for the appearance of its abdomen. Cat-faced Spider Cat-faced spider | image by James St. You may also like: Are There Scorpions in Kentucky? 5. As the sun begins to go down they can be observed crawling out to the center of their web, where they’ll hang with their head pointed toward the ground, waiting for their prey to be trapped in the web. These spiders are rarely seen during the day, when they tend to hide near the edge of the web. It’s web is a vertical, circular shape that’s effective for catching flying insects. ![]() While it’s body rarely exceeds ¾ of an inch long, when you include it’s legspan, it can easily measure over an inch across. It can be identified by the white markings on its abdomen which form the shape of a cross. It’s been introduced to all of the northern US, however, and it’s become quite common. ![]() European Garden Spider European garden spider | image by DamPappa via FlickrĪs you may have guessed from the name, this spider isn’t native to Michigan. It’s a nocturnal spider, and so it tends to remain inactive along the edge of the web all day long. This is likely due to it’s large size- a spider this big sitting in the middle of it’s web all day long would be easy pickings for predators. While most orb weavers like to sit in the middle of their web, the giant lichen orb weaver prefers to wait along the edges of the web. It spins a huge web that can be as big as eight feet across, making it one of the most impressive spider webs you’ll ever see in Michigan. It has orange legs with black bands on them, and intricate green and gray markings on it’s abdomen. The heaviest orb weaver, although not the largest, the giant lichen orb weaver can grow to one inch across, and it’s massive, thick abdomen is the reason for its weight. Giant Lichen Orb Weaver Giant lichen orb weaver | image by Judy Gallagher via Flickr | CC BY 2.0 Instead, when an insect crosses the horizontal webbing, the spider hiding in it’s funnel can feel the vibrations through the web, and it runs out to ambush it’s prey. The web isn’t sticky, and it’s not used to trap prey. A grass spider’s web is horizontal, and leads to a funnel at one end, in which the spider hides. The biggest difference between grass spiders and wolf spiders is that grass spiders actually build and use webs, while wolf spiders do not. They’re also quite difficult to tell apart from wolf spiders, which have a similar appearance and range. This is a large genus of spiders that consists of many different species, and the taxonomy of each species isn’t always clear, since they are all similar in appearance and their ranges overlap. American Grass Spider American grass spider on a leaf | image by Judy Gallagher via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0 Bites from this spider are essentially unheard of, and it’s not considered dangerous to humans. When it feels threatened, it drops from the web and plays dead until the danger has passed. They spin a vertical, twelve-inch wide web a few feet above the ground, and then sit in the very center of the web, waiting for their prey to get stuck in it. It’s large abdomen is adorned with several spikes that give it a crown-like appearance, especially since it protrudes over the cephalothorax, making it appear as if it’s sitting on top of the spider’s head. Like many orb weavers, it’s a small spider, with the females only growing to about half an inch long, and males are considerably smaller. Starbellied Orb Weaver Starbellied orb weaver | image by Judy Gallagher via Flickr | CC BY 2.0Ī striking and unforgettable species, the starbellied orb weaver is also widespread- it can be found from southern Canada all the way down into northern Mexico, and from coast to coast. Here are some of the most common spiders in Michigan. Most of them are quite small, and harmless, although there are a couple of them that you need to be careful around. Michigan is home to many species of spider.
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