Where Did They Go?

Southeast Texas, and Boggy Thicket in particular, is the home of the Golden Garden Spider - Argiope aurantia.

Of course, they live lots of other places, too, and are known by several other names.  In some places they are called Yellow Garden Spiders and in California, where calling anything what it is might be considered politically incorrect, they are known as Golden Orb Weavers.

By any name, this is a predator extraordinary.  These humongous spiders – the female whose web is decorating my back fence has a body about an inch and a half long and legs that reach nearly five inches from tip to tip – build webs that are amazing feats of engineering.

The web material is thick and strong; I have almost been decapitated by running into one while mowing the yard – it’s like driving into 20 lb. test monofilament.  You could use it to lift an anchor, and the webs are often so big that I’m surprised that some bureaucrat hasn’t been around ordering them to install TEDs.

I’ve read that they don’t have very good eyesight, but they don’t really need it.  Once that web is spun, all they have to do is sit back and wait for lunch to be delivered.  They don’t seem to be picky eaters; I’ve seen everything from flies to wasps to cicadas in their webs, and whatever gets caught there doesn’t last long. 

I’ve never seen it here, but back in 2008, two different pictures showed up on the web showing “Orb Weavers” eating birds.

Nothing I’ve read lists anything that might prey on these predators, and they normally don’t die off until at least the first frost of autumn, but two of the three spiders that I’ve been watching in my yard simply disappeared overnight.  The webs are still there – still intact – but the occupants have, like Elvis, left the building.