Dwarf Spider

This Dwarf Spider is REALLY tiny. I’m talking miniscule. Taking photos of it was nearly impossible. These are in the subfamily Erigoninae. This is part of the Linyphiidae family – the sheet weavers. In England they are called “money spiders”. http://www.suttonmass.org/animals/spiders/

Dimorphic Jumping Spider

The Dimorphic Jumping Spider is less than half an inch in diameter. It is technically known as Maevia inclemens. It can jump up to 50 times its length! These spiders are very jump-happy. They will leap on just about anything they see. I called the gray male form of this spider a “speckled spider” until [...]

Daring Jumping Spider

The Daring Jumping Spider is not dangerous at all. It is shy and likes to hang out on fences to track down bugs. It has beautiful green “chelicerae” – the dangling parts in front of their mouth. It is less than an inch wide. Technically known as Phidippus audax this is also known as the [...]

First Night in Worcester, MA

First Night of 2012 in Worcester December 31st This is the place to catch a rising star, wish upon a star, or be a star! Be it music, dance, puppetry, comedy, vaudeville, storytelling, theater, juggling, visual installations, improvisation, ventriloquism, mime, or magic, just imagine what you might discover at First Night. Admission: $10 through December [...]

Daddy Long Legs Spider

Daddy Long Legs inhabit a fascinating area of spider and non-spider worlds. Because this is a “common name”, there are actually two ENTIRELY different sets of creatures which are called this. It is sort of like how you can call a tiny minnow a “fish” and also call a giant whale (mistakenly) a “fish”. In [...]

Common House Spider

If there’s a spider that has an easy to understand name, it’s the Common House Spider! It’s a common spider, you find it in the house It has striped legs that are tan and darker brown. The main body is dark brown with tan designs on it. The common house spider, or Parasteatoda tepidariorum, is [...]

Cobweb Steatoda Spider

The Cobweb Steatoda Spider is a Cobweb Spider and just as with the Cobweb Spider they make the little flimsy corner-of-the-room type of webs. That’s different from, for example, the solid spiral webs – “Charlotte’s Web” web – that orb spiders make. This spider is in particular a Steatoda borealis – a Northern type of [...]

Cobweb Spider

Cobeweb spiders are part of the Theridiidae family of spiders. But wait, you say, don’t all spiders make cobwebs? That’s not true at all! Many spiders leap on their victims, and other spiders create other sorts of webs. Cobweb spiders specifically make the little flimsy corner-of-the-room type of webs. That’s different from, for example, the [...]

Broad Faced Sac Spider

The Broad Faced Sac Spider is Trachelas tranquillus – I like to think of this as the “tranquil spider”. It apparently only comes into homes in the fall when it is preparing to hibernate. Indeed, the first time we ever saw this tranquil spider was in September when the leaves were starting to turn! They [...]

Spiders in Massachusetts

I know that some people are afraid of spiders. Spiders are wonderful creatures! They catch bugs for us. They eat annoying flying gnats. We should all treasure and appreciate spiders. Many Native American cultures have wonderful stories about spiders and how they help nature. Massachusetts spiders are our friends In biologic terms, spiders are of [...]