Spined Micrathena

Their webs are tightly woven with a diameter up to about eight inches

This spooky spider is called a spined micrathena. Although it produces venom, this venom is harmless to humans. These spiders are in the orb-weaver family of spiders (Araneidae). Wild Boyz Photography has featured a variety of orb weaver spiders over the years. Below are some other orb weaver spiders to explore.

Tarantula

These are small spiders, growing to less than half an inch long. To locate these interesting looking spiders, look for their web. Their webs are tightly woven with a diameter up to about eight inches. I saw this spined micrathena in the late summer. This is when they are most active. This photograph was taken in Nebraska, just south of Omaha in Platte River State Park.

These spiders are very distinct, primarily due to their large, spiked abdomen. There are slight differences between the male and female spined micrathena. The males are smaller than the females. The males also tend to have fewer spines.

Tiger Wolf Spider

Interestingly, when the spined micrathena constructs its web, it will change the inner portions of the web daily but often keep the outer portions of the web for multiple days. This spider will rarely stay in the same area for more than a week. Spined mircathena spiders tend to locate themselves around bodies of water. In this case, I found this spider along the Platte River in Nebraska. Because of their proximity to water, their webs catch dragonflies like the skimming bluet.

Ben and I both enjoy shooting photos of spiders. Spiders are often ornately decorated, but because people don’t want to get close to them, their beauty is underappreciated. When you shoot photos of spiders, you want a macro lens. This is a lens that allows you to get very close zoomed-in images. I use a 105mm lens for my close-up spider photography. However, you need more than the correct lens to get good spider shots. You will want to avoid windy days or locations. It is hard enough to locate these spiders, the last thing you want to contend with is the spider bouncing around on its web, in and out of focus. To get the sharpest spider photos possible, use a tripod to stabilize the camera. Spiders are often in the woods and lighting can be an issue. I like to look for spiders in open well-lit areas. When there is abundant lighting, you can have a faster shutter speed and avoid the dreaded blurry photo. I’ve tried using focus lighting when in shaded areas, but this often spooks the spider. Sometimes this is still worth trying, even if it is just your phone light.