Spiders of Summer: Orchard Spider Eating Captured Prey

An Orchard Spider (Leucauge venusta, an orb weaver) consuming a Fly

that it has ensnared in my Tomato Garden.

This same spider was photographed earlier in the summer, here.

Spiders of Summer: Orchard Spider Approaching Prey

An Orchard Spider is bearing down on a Fly that has been caught in its Web.

The Orchard Spider, an Orb Weaver

This young Orchard Spider (Leucauge venusta), who belongs in the Orb Weaver family, had hanged her web over my equally young tomato plants, and if I had a way to encourage it to stay there for the duration of the summer, I would have done so. While the bottom of its thorax is black-green-orange, the top side is predominantly silver with black and green accents. These spiders can be found through North and Central America.

Orb Weaver Spider Crouched for the Pounce

Orb Weaver Spider Crouched for the Pounce, Fultondale, Alabama
Find this and other arachnids at the Galleries, here.

Orb Weaver Ready to Pounce

This Orb Weaver builds its nest nightly above by back patio and patiently awaits the arrival of any unwitting prey, of which there seems to be an abundance. And each morning, she quietly folds up her web, tucks into a nice corner to wait out the day and begin the process anew come sundown.

Silas the Orb Weaver

Found this fellow hanging out behind the house. His web was empty of any dinner and looked pretty newly spun. I thought he could have stood to tidy the thing up a bit; it looked a little amateurish for a guy with "weaver" in his name.