Sunday, July 23, 2023

Can a spider be charming?

 I watched an orchard orbweaver, Leucauge venusta, repairing a web. It’s a common spider with an oblong body, mostly tan. The orange diamonds on the belly explain the Greek — “with a bright gleam” — in the genus name. It has long green legs with black bands at the joints, which designers or sports uniforms should note.

It’s a beautiful spider. The Latin venusta means “charming.” If that doesn’t sound plausible, consider that the web had several mosquitos among the trapped flies.

Does that count as “charming”?

• Source: The University of Florida’s Featured Creatures collection is a fine resource. The article by Donald W. Hall on the orchard orbweaver is here:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1243

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