Music - Nothing Broken
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution
These spiders build their webs in gardens and in grassy areas near houses. They are also typically found in tall grasslands. Individual spiders take up residence in a particular area and tend to stay there all season. When disturbed, this species often causes its web to vibrate: The bouncing movement makes it harder for predators to get a fix on them. Alternatively, if the disturbance is from a trapped insect, the motion causes the prey to get more entangled.
Foods:
A variety of insects may fall prey to this spider, especially grasshoppers and katydids. Once an insect is caught in the sticky strands of the web, the spider often shakes the web to make the insect more fully ensnared. Then, the spider further subdues its prey by injecting it with venom and wrapping it securely in sheets of silk. Often the spider repairs the damaged parts of its web before turning again to its prey.
Life cycle:
Young spiderlings hatch in spring and disperse by ballooning on strands of silk that catch the breeze. Once mature, they breed only once, with the much smaller male courting by plucking strands on the female's web. All summer, the females eat insects and create large egg cases that can contain over 1,000 eggs each. Each female can create about 4 egg cases in her life and generally attaches them to nearby plants. As temperatures cool in autumn, the female slows and dies in the first frosts.
