References Bays, S. M. (1962). A study of the training possibilities of Araneus diadematus Cl. Experientia, 18(9), 423-424. Briceño, R. D., & Eberhard, W. G. (2012). Spiders avoid sticking to their webs: clever leg movements, branched drip-tip setae, and anti-adhesive surfaces. Naturwissenschaften, 99, 337-341. Bristowe, W. S. (1958). The World of Spiders. Collins. Eggs, B., & Sanders, D. (2013). Herbivory in spiders: The importance of pollen for orb-weavers. PLoS One, 8(11), e82637. Elgar, M. A., & Nash, D. R. (1988). Sexual cannibalism in the garden spider Araneus diadematus. Animal Behaviour, 36(5), 1511-1517. Fischer, A., Schulz, S., Ayasse, M., & Uhl, G. (2021). Pheromone communication among sexes of the garden cross spider Araneus diadematus. The Science of Nature, 108(5), 38. Foelix, R. (2011). Biology of Spiders, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press. Kenis, M., Adriaens, T., Brown, P. M., Katsanis, A., Martin, G. S., Branquart, E., ... & Poland, R. L. (2017). Assessing the ecological risk posed by a recently established invasive alien predator: Harmonia axyridis as a case study. BioControl, 62, 341-354. Liu, K., Wang, M., Herzig, V., Liu, Z., Hu, W., Zhou, G., & Duan, Z. (2016). Venom from the spider Araneus ventricosus is lethal to insects but inactive in vertebrates. Toxicon, 115, 63-69. doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.03.010 McKeown, N., Vetter, R. S., & Hendrickson, R. G. (2014). Verified spider bites in Oregon (USA) with the intent to assess hobo spider venom toxicity. Toxicon, 84, 51-55. Mortimer, B., Soler, A., Wilkins, L., & Vollrath, F. (2019). Decoding the locational information in the orb web vibrations of Araneus diadematus and Zygiella x-notata. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 16(154), 20190201. Nyffeler, M., & Bonte, D. (2020). Where have all the spiders gone? Observations of a dramatic population density decline in the once very abundant garden spider, Araneus diadematus (Araneae: Araneidae), in the Swiss Midland. Insects, 11(4), 248. Ramousse, R. (1973). Body, web-building and feeding characteristics of males of the spider Araneus diadematus (Araneae: Araneidae). Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 80, 22-47. Rhisiart, A. A., & Vollrath, F. (1994). Design features of the orb web of the spider, Araneus diadematus. Behavioral Ecology, 5(3), 280-287. Roggenbuck, H., Pekár, S., & Schneider, J. M. (2011). Sexual cannibalism in the European garden spider Araneus diadematus: the roles of female hunger and mate size dimorphism. Animal Behaviour, 81(4), 749-755. Rose S (2022). Spiders of North America. Princeton University Press. Schneider, J. M., & Vollrath, F. (1998). The effect of prey type on the geometry of the capture web of Araneus diadematus. The Science of Nature, 85, 391-394. Sloggett, J. J. (2010). Predation of ladybird beetles by the orb-web spider Araneus diadematus. BioControl, 55(5), 631-638. Vollrath, F., & Köhler, T. (1996). Mechanics of silk produced by loaded spiders. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 263(1369), 387-391. Zhou, J., Lai, J., Menda, G., Stafstrom, J. A., Miles, C. I., Hoy, R. R., & Miles, R. N. (2022). Outsourced hearing in an orb-weaving spider that uses its web as an auditory sensor. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(14), e2122789119. Zschokke, S. (1996). Early stages of orb web construction in Araneus diadematus Clerck. Rev Suisse Zool, 2, 709-720. Zschokke, S., Countryman, S., & Cushing, P. E. (2021). Spiders in space-orb-web-related behaviour in zero gravity. The Science of Nature, 108(1), 1.
One morning in my backyard i noticed a jumping spider hunting one of these orbweavers on the side of my apartment. The way she escaped fascinated me... she never moved back to that spot
I absolutely hate & love orb weavers. Twice in my life i have walked full force into a web at face level with that big ass spider smacking me on my upper lip. Recently i had one set up directly in front of our front door. By some divine miracle i noticed before walking face first into that enormous web for a third time. So yeah beautiful spider please go elsewhere.
So you think that a spider who relies on feeling the vibrations in its web to locate trapped prey can hear noises? You don’t think that perhaps the sound waves vibrate the wave and thats what they are responding to? I mean to me it seems totally different than hearing. Like you don’t really hear bass you feel its vibration. I can hear those tones but not feel the vibration. Dunno.
On one very lonely and depressing night I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. About an hour into the walk I'm walking over a bridge and I see a spider building a web and I spent 30 minutes just observing this wonderful creature make this intricate and beautiful design and that really helped me that night.
Many, many times myself also. They're fascinating and relaxing creatures. So far removed from all of our worries and problems they may as well be in another planet. Calms me
My daughter calls these spiders "People-Catchers" because of the way they always build their webs across the porch stairs or sidewalks, etc. and also because of how strong their webs are. They're strong enough to make us step backwards if we run into one, and the web usually survives the encounter! Or if we do break it (sorry, spider dude!) you can literally hear it snap. We always know fall is finally underway when the first People Catcher web appears across the porch steps.
For a while, a weaver like this made its web right in between my steps. I would open it like a gate by picking up two anchor threads and putting them back. They don't do that any more, but it is still always cool to find these spiders!
Yeah here in the UK there are TONS of them! I used to hate putting out the bins as there would always be a gauntlet of these guys at the end of the garden 😂
@@travismcenery2919 Not to be confused with an object known as a man-catcher, a stick with a kind of clamp to trap other folks or animals in. Though now I am thinking of a mancatcher styled like a spider...
Dear Travis, I am a 78 yo semi-retired emergency physician. I am enjoying bing watching your content. It is great. Poor spiders. They do get blamed for every thing which just might be a bite. No one ever brought a spider. No one saw the spider. I treat the infection which is most likely cellulitis and /or Staph. Emotions about spiders are, I believe the root cause of all the palaver. Thanks for you education. I love your humor.
Had a beautiful orb weaver make its way inside last winter, noticed it on my curtains against the light of the TV, decided to let her stay since I figured she didn’t have long. She hung out in the exact same spot from December to February, I went out & greeted her/watched her every morning. One morning I came out & she wasn’t there, didn’t suspect anything cuz spiders move sometimes, but 2 days later when she didn’t return I actually walked over to her spot and found she passed & was hanging by a piece of silk near the floor. Loved her. Been waiting for more Orb weavers to show up all summer but no dice, hoping our little friends show up soon.
@@jupitartz Awww, a lovely tribute! ❤️As one who was always known to Everyone as having “arachnophobia”, you had me on the verge of tears. I have recently begun overcoming this as the first time ever, one evening I witnessed 2 orb weavers between my crepe myrtles right beyond my front porch! Instead of hyperventilating l was So enthralled, entranced and just amazed. Found myself watching, (one was smaller and in its own separate space). Found out later they were likely a couple, smaller male, and larger female. Later I went out again and they were both having dinner feasting each on a June bug. I had to laugh! Typical of south Louisiana! I did have to research to find out what they were which led me to Travis’ website and videos. My experience gave me a whole new perspective and Admiration as well as Respect for these amazing creatures! Travis’s video enhanced that SO much more as well as the comments and your story was awesome! (You know I really had never seen these before here) so strange. When they left in the morning, I was hoping they’d come back, ( never in my life had I thought I’d be saying this!). but they never did. Made me sad. Anyway Thanks Again for sharing your story, as this has also helped my appreciation of these beautiful creatures.
@@charlottedescant2130 I’d suggest (if you haven’t already) to look up jumping spiders and especially see videos of people handling them and playing with them. In my opinion, jumping spiders are by far the best Type of spiders for overcoming arachnophobia. My arachnophobia is off the charts but as crazy as it may sound, I actually made a spider friend few months back, it was a jumping spider. It lived on my night desk for 2 and half months and I would handle it every day, the spider would play on my hands, Jump from one finger to another, interact with me in a very intelligent way etc. They have excellent eyesight and can recognise faces. Our first interaction was amazing. I’ve put my finger in front of the spider, the spider looked at my finger and then turned around and looked me straight into the eyes. It knew this is my finger. Looked at the finger again, then in my eyes again (figuring me out?). Then it quickly touched my finger and looked me in the eyes again, did this a few times (checking my reaction?) until it (presumably) decided Im not a threat and finally walked onto my finger and since then we’ve been friends, hanging out and playing every day. There’s nothing more cute than when they Look you in the eyes. Their eyes are big (for a spider) so you can easily see them. When they Look you in the eyes, they actually lift their head a little bit and you see them staring at you, then they tilt their head also while looking at you. It’s crazy and cute. This spider would do that whilst on my hand, then move closer and repeat several times until it eventually reached my shoulder to have a closer Look of my face lol. I hope, at least, that this story gives you a smile and/or adds a new perspective to your view on spiders.
Man this one was fantastic. I definitely look at orb weavers a little different now! And thanks for reminding me about the invertebrate crisis, man I’m scared to see what the next few decades look like for our creepy crawly friends
It's not just invertebrates who will suffer. When the bottom of the food-chain starts to collapse, it's a sign that the entire system is crumbling, and those of us who consider ourselves to be at the "top" of it are in danger of extinction, too.
Yeah, I was really shocked to see just how much they had declined in Switzerland. I'm happy that they're still common here in Canada, but they seem to be an important "canary species". Nancy's video on this is excellent.
I went out on my porch one morning about a month ago and walked right through one of these beauty's webs. It was dark and I forgot it was there. When I reached up to wipe what I thought was just web off my face, to my horror the spider was on my forehead, and bit it when I touched her. I developed a red bump, was a little hot and nauseous for a couple of days, and it looked like a big pimple for a week or so. Inconvenient, but nothing severe. Before finding your channel I was a pretty big arachnophobe. I would have probably gone to urgent care, and certainly would have killed the spider. Instead I just kept an eye on the bite and noted it wasn't getting worse. And the spider is still making her web on my porch, but she generously moved it to a more convenient spot. I named her Stephanie. Thank you for your videos, please keep up the great work!
@@tadrakyn1691 Love this! So sweet you gave Stephanie a Name❣️ As I am not used of seeing Orb weavers here much, if that would’ve been me in your case…..I most likely would have passed out out cold 🥴😵💫 while Miss Spider thankfully survived and went about spinning in a new location. Seriously I have a new appreciation and respect for them as I learn more about them and gradually overcoming my phobia. Still have a bit (maybe a lot) for the crawling and climbing ones.
I have absolutely called out of work due to spiders. There were a pair of baby orb weavers that had made a double web across my front door, and I just couldn't bring myself to wreck their pretty webs. I got to chill and watch movies and they got to eat - I had geckos at the time so sprinkled a few fruit flies in their webs as a gesture of friends.
@@dallaswalker340no they dont, why lie about such a simple topic? orb weaver nets can stay up entire summers and will stay inhibted by that same spider if undisturbed. the waste of energy in rebuilding every day would be ridiculous.
@@leonhardable You are wrong. I have had them in my back yard for fourty years and have seen them remove the web just before sunup, eating it. And at nightfall they begin building a complete new web. Not a "net", a web. You may have a different species that does not do this but to be dismissive to another without reason is wrong. If you can post a comment on YT you can surely look up the information yourself.
back when I asked you to do a video on these guys, I was living in an apartment and they were EVERYWHERE, they basically had taken over my balcony. I used to just watch them out the window all the time, one had lost a leg and stayed around long enough to grow a new one, which made me happy lol
I know! I still sort of can't believe it worked. Fed Claire tonight and she still seems just perfectly happy to stay there. Really wanna try it with Argiope. Come to think of it, I wonder if it would work with a Joro...
This video unlocked a long lost memory for me - in Austria, we call these guys the Kreuzspinne ("cross spider") and as a child I was always told they're incredibly dangerous (probably because there aren't many spider species in middle Europe that can actually pierce human skin even if the effects are negligible). I used to be very afraid of spiders, but one day when visiting friends outside the city, I saw a cross orb weaver sitting in her web right outside the window, and, while a bit freaked out, I then watched her during the entirety of our dinner. That was probably my earliest (and fondest) memory of me learning to coexist with spiders. Thank you for making these videos - you're great at explaining things and always manage to inject some humor into your videos. UA-cam needs more creators like you, and the world needs more spiders like these.
Thanks so much for the kind comments - it means a lot! I'm glad I've been able to make things clear and understandable without being painful to watch. ;)
@@travismcenery2919 well, no moreso painful than the post-laughter from your "so I found one of these in my house... now what?" overreaction montages haha gets me everytime
I just wanted to say a quick "thank you". I have not been a particularly big spider fan - without running away screaming. You've made me respect these little creatures more over the last few months. I now let small spiders out on my hand. If they just hang around in an upper corner of the room, I let them live in peace and am happy that I don't have a problem with fruit flies in summer. These spiders, which we call "Kreuzspinnen" in Germany, have a very bad reputation here. They are said to be one of the very few poisonous spiders. But I now know that this is not the case. It's a shame that these little creatures have become so rare here.
You're very welcome, and thank you - it is always encouraging to hear that the channel and the videos are making a difference to people. It's great to hear that you've made progress - keep it up!
Last year during the coldest part of the fall, I noticed a small cat spider, Araneus gemmoides, sitting in a web at work. A few days later we were going to experience a severe cold snap in our area. Fearing for the spider, I brought the little guy home. He/she is still alive and built a very lovely web, now having molted three or four times over winter. Orb weavers are absolutely beautiful. There's a few local spiders I watch and occasionally feed in my area, my favorite thing is seeing them take on paper wasps and large hornets. If anything can handle them, it's orb weavers. Spiders are fucking awesome!
I am BLOWN AWAY at the depth of orb weavers. I had no idea they were this complex. Having kept several Latrodectus Hesperus, this makes me want to take care of an orb weaver as well.
Hi there, Travis! Curiosity led me here because there’s a MASSIVE and beautiful female orb-weaver spider living on my porch. She’s been hanging around for about a month now. Funnily enough, my mom and I decided to name her Charlotte shortly after we discovered her. I witnessed her mating ritual! It happened the night before last! (He survived!) Her and her babies are safe with us, I promise. Thank you so much for creating this video and for teaching me all about orb-weavers!
I know they're named for the pattern, but especially with the angry octopus, I am greatly amused by the idea that these spiders are perpetually peeved.
😂 oh my god hahahaha i’m definitely going to think of cross as referring to them being annoyed instead of the pattern from now on lol that didn’t even register until i saw your comment after the octopus 😂😂
Orb weavers are so benevolent, but I too enjoy the idea of these guys being angry at all times. Just extremely upset spiders who weave beautiful webs while in a rage.
I live in Washington, these dudes are EVERYWHERE. Growing up, they were always called garden spiders, everyone calls them that. I've been trying to look them up the past couple of days, but haven't been able to find much, mostly because to most people "garden spider" is a totally different type of orb Weaver. Very fortuitous that you'd post this video just for me! Thank you :)
I grew up calling them garden spiders! I think we have multiple species in washington as I've seen some solid yellow and also some grey orb weavers here. They're wonderful little buddies I used to hold the tiny babies when they came out of their egg sack
I also live in Washington and they completely have taken over my apartment complex, but are at least polite enough to stay outside. I’ve seen plenty of other spiders inside my apartment but never the cross orb weaver so I do appreciate them for that.
I've never seen Charlotte's Web before, so I had to. Not only I now learnt this whole channel is full of references to that movie, but I had to finish the video all covered in tears - Yes, I paused the video, went watch the movie then came back
seeing how they run a supplementary line to the edge of their web and hook one of their legs onto it so they can get a kind of remote security alert is CRAZY COOL!! I never knew spiders could be so fascinating :)
@@travismcenery2919 The macro shot you were able to get of the silk hooked around the leg was sooooo cool!! That’s something you’d never notice just walking by, I always thought they would sit in the middle of the web at all times, this was the first time I learned they actually wait on the outer edge which makes a lot more sense for hunting :) I’m going to rewatch your in depth how webs are made video now that I have more information to go into it with :) I gotta say the moment in that video showing the massive web over the river was just incredible :)
Absolutely one of my favourite spiders too! An awesome start to the weekend when you get to sit down to a new McEnery drop. Keep doing your thing Travis, always a pleasure to see a new addition to the library from you, I've sent your vids to more than one arachnophobe to help them get over their discomfort (with a forewarning of course!) too. The worlds a fascinating place, we shouldn't be so scared of what we don't understand.
Thanks so much for the kind words, and for the support with sharing the videos around. It really counts for a lot, and I'm glad the channel has been worthwhile!
None of these super amazing discoveries are more amazing than knowing how in this universe can they run with slim legs and touch the right parts of the web without eyes on each leg. They make it look easy, but when you think about what they are doing, it looks impossible!
I just saw the whole video, and thats terrifying! Could it have something to do with our wireless communication I wonder?! Still in abundance here luckily
Glad i found this video. I found one of these one night who made web about 8 feet wide, i kid you not. It was across from an umbrella to some patio furniture. I took a couple pics with the flash highlighting it as best i could. The size and perfection of that web amazed me.
Thank you for a very informative and entertaining video. Every October (Near Halloween) since 2015 I get a visit from one of these guys, usually on the front porch with an almost perfect arch to his web where I don’t have to duck when I walk out the front door. Although I put out my Halloween decorations complete with fake web in the yard, I leave his alone. Plus no matter how hard I try, his or her web design is always better than mine, who knows, maybe she gets a kick outta me trying to out do her. Thanks to this video I’ll have an even more appreciation of her when she appears in a few weeks.
A couple years ago I found what I think might have been a Western Spotted Orb Weaver in my patio garden. I've been arachnophobic for most of my life, but I left her be, and kind of sidled around her to water every day, and in doing so got to watch her entire life cycle. I fell completely in love, and am slowly learning more about local spiders, so that I can leave the beneficial ones alone. This video was extremely educational, and has deepened my affection for orb weavers. I'm not completely comfortable with all spiders, but the more I learn the less the fear and discomfort has a hold on me, and is being replaced with fascination. I'm grateful to the little spider on my patio, and all her little babies, and I'm grateful for your video too. This is the first video I've watched on your channel, but I am about to go watch a bunch of others! Thank you for making these so in-depth!
I live in South Florida and recently had an orb weaver make its home in my girlfriend's porch for about two weeks. Her and her brother must have walked into its web a handful of times while going to work in the early morning before I had to move it. Nothing better than adrenaline to get the day going!. I took the spider and relocated it to a tree by a local grocery store, hoping it would make a home there. I love spiders, but scientifically, so the fear of holding one is what I'm trying to get over while watching these videos. Jumping spiders are no problem, but some of these orb weavers look like military-grade weapons. Seeing them on the ground makes me feel like I can pick them up, but when they're in their webs at eye level, I can't get myself to disturb them or their beautiful webs. Thanks for the video! this definitely helps out, if I ever handle one, I'll have you to thank for it!
SYNCHRONICITY IN ACTION! lol no but seriously this is the first spider I’m able to identify by sight ever since starting my journey to conquer my extreme arachnophobia!!! Literally yesterday I walked out of my apartment and BAM! There was a MASSIVE, like at least the size of a quarter, Cross Orb Weaver that decided to make its 3 foot wide web alongside the walkway out of my apartment unit. Other than the jumping spider that’s been visiting my sliding door this was the first time I’ve ever seen a spider relatively close and not been afraid!! I took my time looking for the glint of the silk so I wouldn’t accidentally catch any piece of it and end up with the spider on me (that would’ve ruined my whole un-arachnophobia progress lol) but I was totally calm and not scared at all to walk by once I knew the web wasn’t in the way. I know if this happened even a few months ago I would’ve literally refused to leave my apartment, no exaggeration. I would’ve been frozen and there’s absolutely no way I would’ve been able to force myself to walk that close to it, absolutely no chance. It felt really amazing to not have that fear, I just can’t thank you enough. I’ve said this before but your channel and the my wild backyard channel are the two that I watch to help with my arachnophobia and I quite literally couldn’t have done this without you guys. Thank you for helping me ❤ I’m extremely anxious about a lot of things and i’m just so glad to start being so much less anxious about spiders. Before I walked in my door I saw the spider tucked up into the corner above my neighbors door and smiled at it before walking inside and this was the FIRST VIDEO that popped up on youtube as soon as I sat down. Synchronicity at work lol also thank you for the angry octopus comparison, you’re right it made me laugh and now that will be what I see from now on, helping me be less afraid even more q
@@pattersondh thank you so much your encouragement is a massive boost for me! my adhd completely takes over in youtube comments sorry for such a wall of text lol 😂 I saw the little guy creating a new web in the corner in the overhang above my neighbors door in the entryway to our apartments today and tried to get a closer look without looking like i was pointing my phones flashlight directly at their door like a peeper 🤣🤣🤣 thank goodness my neighbor likes me lol but yeah I watched it making its web for a few minutes using my iphones’ magnifier setting to zoom in as much as possible and was able to watch it kicking the silk into place and it was just really a nice experience knowing more about what was happening ❤️❤️ when I finally decided to go inside I said out loud “okay well your web is looking great, see you tomorrow, protect my door from bugs too if you can, i like you more than her” (jokingly referring to my neighbor) just being smart and talking out loud not thinking and as i was closing the door I remembered they could sense the acoustics and it was an ever better moment
Sorry for the later reply here, but this was so nice to read. I'm always really happy to hear of people working to overcome their arachnophobia, and even shifting to an appreciation for these animals, so I'm thrilled to hear that you've been working on it and that you're really moving forward with it. I know it can be a really big deal for some people, so for you to get from where you started to where you are is amazing. And if my content has helped with that, then I'm honored to have been a part! Spencer at @MyWildBackyard has done a lot of amazing work that has helped a lot of people with it, too, so I'm not surprised to hear you mention him - he's great. Thanks so much for the comment, and keep up the journey!
@@travismcenery2919 Thanks so much Travis :) I really appreciate your supportive comments and your content :) You and Spencer have really helped give me a sense of control and curiosity has totally replaced fear :) I know these longer videos take a lot of time to research and record but I hope you know it’s all totally worth it and there’s so many comments from people like me that have found your channel and have started working on our fears because of you :) Thank you for sharing your passion with us on youtube, I haven’t missed a video and I’m always excited to see a new one :)
Ive never seen a channel that goes so in depth like you do on spiders your vids are amazing its refreshing to watch a spider video where not the only information you get is how dangerous/not dangerous they are
certainly have noticed the steep decline in number of insects at least on two continents in my lifetime.... I don't quite understand how it is not a bigger deal than it is, their decline and eventual loss can collapse structure of life as we know it on this planet....
It's so interesting to learn about these neato spiders. I remember horseback riding through the woods as a child and running face first into one of their webs was my biggest fear, and it happened often considering they were stretched beautifully (and unfortunately) across all the narrow trails. The spinybacked orb weavers (not that I knew that's what they were at the time) always terrified me and I'd glue myself to my horses neck to avoid them by ducking under their webs. Sometimes if we saw them before we barreled into them, we'd be careful to try to navigate under or around their webs, sometimes only needing to break one strand to squeeze through. I miss those days, and this brought me back there, and taught me something besides. Thanks!
Orb weavers and jumping spiders have been my favorites since I was a small child, oh so many decades ago. Learning that orb weavers have so many wonderful things about them I wasn't aware of was great. Thanks for another awesome video, and may the spiders in your house and yard always be plentiful.
Im possibly obsessed with spiders, and orb weavers hold a special place in my heart because they're everywhere where I live. This video was so well made and super fascinating. I'll be binging through the rest. Thanks for sharing! 🕸️
Wonderful presentation once again. Thank you sir. I'm not a morning person but have spent many glorious early morning hours observing and photographing orb weavers. Highly recommended
I am so happy to stumble upon this channel. Excellent information about the species, and delivered with a great amount of humor and fun 😅 Loving it from Ontario, Canada 💗
I have enjoyed many of your videos, but this video stood out from the rest. In fact, I would say it was outstanding with so much information. You taught me a lot about the Orb Weaver Spider. I have plenty of spiders in my back garden, I live next to a woodland in Plymouth England UK. My outhouse and garage seem to favour cellar spiders and there are plenty of Orb Weavers in my garden. I once saw an Orb Weaver web in my front garden which was about three feet in diameter, and it was beautiful with dew on it early morning. Thank you for this video.
This has to be the best spider video I have ever seen. I have been teaching a lot of these topics about orb weavers (and other spider programs) for years and also trying to compile a satisfactory video on much of this subject matter. Now, I don't know WHAT to do, lol, this video would put any video of mine to shame. Hats off to you! amazing.
I was fascinated watching a Trashline Orbweaver in my mom's yard, while visiting for vacation. I was learning macro photography and spent a lot of time watching it. I never knew they tightened their web when the web gets too loose and watching the spider do repairs was really interesting. I also got to watch it clean water drops off it's web. Really funny as it would grab a droplet with parts of its mouth, and then passed the droplet to front palps and chuck the water over its back. It would continue this till it got the area cleared of water, then return to it's the trashline and blend into it's camo.
I was listening to this video while working in my garden, and I was able to go look at a cross orb weaver with a line from her hiding spot to the center of her web while you were talking about it. It was so cool witnessing the behavior in person while learning about it!
Love this video, watched and loved your yellow sac spider video also. I’m especially excited by Claire and how cool that relationship is! I have serval cross orbweavers on my porch that I’ve been feeding the last couple months. This video made me love these spiders even more. Thanks for making these very informative videos!
"As high as possible..." Lol, Travis. Loved this video. I grew up keeping this species in Washington State. In captivity, I had a female live for 3 years. She was huge, roughly two inches across with her legs bunched up. She was so heavy for her web that the web strained and bowed. I think she wasn't ideally meant to be alive that long. This was likely because she didn't breed. She laid empty egg sacs with no slings, though. I think she lived a happy life of eating lots of captured moths, flies, grasshoppers (mountain crickets) and when they were abundant, mayflies. Nobody wanted me keeping any spiders, but my mother's fear of flying insects and my incentive for catching them were increased, so it was allowed. Childhood of a biologist. lol
Every fall, I am visited by orb weavers that look like little crab spiders making gorgeous, intricate webs from the top of my outside walkways ceiling down to the railing facing east. They usually arrive the first week of October and are usually gone by early December… I don’t know where they go, but they do go. They are so beautiful and it’s fun to watch them make and remake their webs what is the time that they’re here and they’re always in the same place. I tried talking to one up close once And they did a little dance for me. It was very, very cool to watch.
Fantastic video! I grew up in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and these spiders were everywhere, especially in the fall!! I always thought they were pretty, and now that I live in the Midwest, I just don’t see them. I’ve always wondered why, and now I know. Thank you so much for doing this video! It was wonderful to learn more about a familiar critter from my childhood, and I am so impressed by orb-weavers in general now. I really enjoy the humor you put into your videos along side the information. Thank you for doing what you do!
Love these babies and have been "raising" them in my yard for the past couple years and always describe them as a very polite spider, if you walk through their web they'll try to rebuild it at a slightly different location nearby until it finds a point out of the way of my housemate and I walking by. This spring I saw a ton of juveniles around the yard making webs between flowers and learning that they eat pollen at that stage blows my mind but makes so much sense with it's protein and beneficial compounds. Thank you so much for making these videos and of great enough quality and approachability to send to friends.
You're most welcome, and thank you for the kind comment! I'm really glad you find the videos helpful enough to send to friends - I appreciate the sharing!
Cross orbweavers are my favorite spiders. I’ve got em all around the house, and in the garage, in the shed, I even found 2 *in my office* recently. Inside! I was quite surprised!
The orb weaver that lived at my house in the city (in the back yard) made a big zig zag in the center of its web and took its web down every morning at sunrise and put it back every nite. My grandson and i used to watch the beauty of its web art several eves per week. My grandson at 4 yrs old would sit attentively and watch and he didn't let me forget about it. It was so much fun to both of us. But, when we moved to the the country, same color and looking spider left her zig zagged center web up 24/7. The last two spiders in the country we watched both left their webs up 24/7 for about 2 weeks while hanging upside down vertical in the web. And both had this behavior: bug food got in her web and she wrapped and moved it out of her web and hung the wrapped food dangling on a string next to the web (where the end of the web attached to the wooden wall) and would repair the small hole left by the bug in her web with the zig zag repair, each time she added the bugs to the one string dangling near the web, in about 2 weeks she had several bugs added to the string set them aside with a clean web left for more food to arrive, then she laid an egg and attached it closelt next to the string of bugs then took down her web and left. Left behind were her wrapped bugs dangling on one string and the egg was on a string right next to the string with wrapped bugs, both strings tucked under and hidden from open sight of predators. . The mother removed her web and she was gone. My question is , was the 'city' spider a male? It was the exact same spider as the one in the country but did not have the same behavior with putting bugs on a separate string and we never saw the city spider lay an egg either. And why don't we ever see male and female in the same web? When do they mate?
Love these spiders! It's crazy how thick their webs are. One time, I was watering someone's garden and night started coming and as I was hurrying to finish up, I leaned over this fence that had an awning above it and could feel the tension of the web. I was able to back up before actually breaking it and saw a beautiful web, with a cute little orb weaver in the middle, that had been created in less than an hour, because it definitely wasn't there when I started.
Hello from Maine USA. At our last apartment we had a beautiful and very large orb weaver who claimed the area just outside our back door as her own. She didn't attach to the doorframe, but rather to the entrance step of the second floor apartment just above us. Nonetheless, her being there caused us to make that area off limits for as long as she was there. We just didn't want to even inadvertently cause damage to her gorgeous web or her. We would leave the indoor porch light on to attract insects for her and she was very well-fed. She was there for the longest time - even after weather was getting chilly, leaves falling and such. But every morning we would see her. Then one day she was gone. It actually made us sad. We still couldn't bring ourselves to knock down the tattered remnants of her web. Of course eventually there was no trace left. UNTIL SPRING!! She had evidently tucked away an egg cocoon and when the bebbehs hatched it was hilarious! There were the tiniest orb weavers EVERYWHERE! And they spun the tiniest, perfect little webs. Of course "Charlotte's Web" instantly came to mind. We tried to put as many as possible out in the garden, but our resident "jumpyboi" jumping spider also had quite a feast. Circle of life and all that. An awesome experience, especially for me as at one time I was terrified of spiders!
Your videos are always such a treat. Well-researched, informative and entertaining - and I love how much affection and appreciation you have for these amazing creatures.
recently stumbled upon ur channel! as of right now ur my fav channel in all of YT! Great stuff man and thanks for educating and sharing your knowledge!!!!
I’m living in a new state where they have giant hentz orbweavers. They’re lovely babies. I really loved watching them build their webs every evening in the fall. I gave the ones on my deck names. Everyone I know thinks I’m kind of nuts for that lol. They really opened up my mind to how cool and unique and beautiful spiders can be, and that they can coexist peacefully with us in so many cases. Now I’m always researching every new spider I see and am subscribed to your channel!
I am so glad to have found your fascinating site. I look forward to learning so much more about these little critters, once I get over itching myself continuously....
I have two of these living on my porch right now. One is near the porch light which is the perfect place since all the bugs are attracted to it at night and one has made her web in my office window. One is tan and smaller and the other is grey and larger and I LOVE observing them. I get to watch the weaving AND the hunting and they are the most gorgeous creatures! I am a former arachnophobe and the more I learn about spiders, the more I love them. I still hate Sac spiders though. They leave a mess on my ceilings and have no sense of personal space.
Thank you for sharing the web building facts! I'm embarrassed to say that I have overlooked orb weavers for most of my spider-loving life. I focused more on wolf spiders and jumping spiders as my favorites, but learning about just how complicated and incredible spiderwebs actually are has led to a new appreciation of our little orb weaving friends. It's incredible how much goes into web building... and the lengths that we humans have gone to in order to figure them out. I have lots of what I believe to be Neoscona around my apartment. One of them built a big web on my porch and I was delighted, thinking "good, catch all the mosquitoes." I even gave her a name: Lala Barina, after a spider monster from the Monster Hunter series. She even found a boyfriend, I walked outside one day to see them together. But a few days later I found she and the web were gone, I think someone saw her and called property management. I hope they just knocked down the web and she managed to escape. I seriously miss her.
Ooh one of my favorites! So photogenic! When they build webs on our deck where we hang out, we feed them when we're around. One built a web across our kitchen window and lived there for a fairly long time and that was great. Bugs would be attracted by the kitchen light, and we got a great view of the action.
I live in an old farmhouse with vinyl siding and all.summer the front explodes every night with 20 or so webs from these ladies, sometimes in windows or in the door frame and I watched this episode like a Hollywood tell all giving me all the information on my housemates! Thank you!!!
One of my favorites as well, along with the similar A. Cavaticus. I've had the pleasure of observing many of these outside my Texas apartment this spring and summer. I appreciate your dedication to these videos, I always learn a great deal and come back later for reference.
When I was a kid, my mom and I called the sidewalk on the way to my bus stop "spider alley", because when walking through it in the spring and fall, we would see a massive amount of really big orb weavers out and about, usually up in the power lines and stuff.
God bless the algorithm recommending me this video and channel!! I’ve got one of these hanging out right outside my door next to the light and it’s nice to see them just chillin
Really enjoy these spiders. I got to hang out with them a bit while I was redoing all of the flooring in my house over the course of last year. I setup a popup canopy on my outdoor deck. They set up their webs all around the canopy. I watched them grow big and fat and the effects of getting saw dust in their webs. Theyre really docile and quite lovely to watch. I suppose there's no sense in harassing one with 🧀 Another great and informative video! Looking forward to the next one!
Glad you enjoy these spiders as much as I do! I've got a bunch of them living on my back deck, and I love seeing them every day. And you're right, not much point in a cheese test with these ones. Thanks for the comment!
Excellent work with this video, it's amazing how much information these spiders can glean from the vibrations of their prey in the web! I also loved the graphics you made to illustrate that concept.
A cross orb weaver had made its web along the face of my house's siding, I had found it about a month ago on a cold night while I was taking out my dogs. I was enamored with its web and impressive size. I gave it a couple of gentle pokes, and it was non responsive, I left it on its web that night - it was still there in the morning moving about like it wasn't frigid out that night. Recently, I haven't seen it along the siding of my house, but its intricate web still remains (even if it's missing most of its parts). I doubt I'll see it again, but I'm hopeful I'll see more next year.
The orb weavers have always been some of my favorite spiders to watch do their thing, mostly because they are large enough to actually see what's going on.
Really love your content and delivery man! Hopefully you are making more spider lovers in the world - I certainly already am one and even more so when I can watch and learn about them like this.
You know, the overall knowledge you give to people about spiders is pretty awesome, though I also can't help but be comforted by the typewriter noise you use during the transitions between segments. It's the little things that make your channel exceptional :)
I've been a fan of spiders for over 50 years and look forward to every one of your episodes. I am fortunate to have a very large wolf spider living in my garage and more recently an extremely small spider has taken up residence on the back door window. This spider was so small that at first I didn't see it only a messy web that appeared to be empty. Upon close inspection I noticed the less than chia seed size spider lurking in the corner of the web. I've been opening the over head garage door after dark using the kitchen light to draw insects to the web. I'm amazed at how quickly this little guy has doubled in size. It is still so small that I cannot tell what kind of spider it is but it is fun watching it grow. Thanks for creating such an amazing series. 😎✌
You're very welcome, and thanks for the comment. I'm really glad you're enjoying the channel. And yeah, smaller spiders can be extremely difficult to identify. Often the type of web can help you narrow it to family but it can get tricky after that point.
I have "messy" native gardens using NO chemicals that I started in 2020. For the last two years, I've been seeing orb weaver spiders, others, again. Spiders fascinate so I'm over joyed at seeing them in my yard. Spiders and bats are two of my favorite animals. Beautiful predators.
I’ve never really been scared of spiders but always a little apprehensive around them. After watching many of your videos I am way more comfortable around them now. You have educated me to the point where I actually enjoy them. I encounter them on a daily basis so it helps tremendously. Thank you.
I absolutely loved this video! Thank you thank you thank you for doing this. I’ve always had a fondness for these little kids since I was a child and this new auditory information fascinates me.
She built her web behind my rose of Sharon tree which is in full bloom and each bloom has loads of pollen on its stigma and a black ant 🐜 hiding inside. Nature is so beautiful ❤️
I love seeing cross orbweavers. Every fall for years now, multiple big females will come to live on my mom's back porch, webbing across the outside edges to catch the insects attracted by the porch lights and the porch top garden.
So glad this video came up today. I’ve been watching my little window friends for a year and a half now absolutely facilitated by what they do. Now I’m in even more awe, spiders are incredible and I wish more people can see that someday.
Thank you for making this! My kiddo has been interested but afraid of spiders, and learning with your channel has been great for making things less scary. Got the spider spotter app and doing our part for science! Keep up the great work!
Fascinating. When I had a Nature Center I tried to see if the Shamrock Spider (Araneus trifolium) I had could be tricked into coming our of her leaf hidey-hole by me tickling her web. Nope . She knew the difference between a live prey item and me trying to fool her.
What an amazing study of this beautiful spider. I had a pet orb at my kitchen window, it was eaten by a pidgeon but I did get some beautiful photos before it was gone. What an amazing creature it was to watch, as every day she would renew her web. She worked on her web every day. Anyway this video was very enjoyable, thankyou.
Great video, Travis. The spiders hearing with their web was a real eye-opener. I've been an insect and spider watch for most of my life. I remember many more Argiope aurantia, honey, bumble bees, and grasshoppers. This was back in the '60s in Chicago, IL. Plus the city would have these trucks with large blowers that would spray the tres for mosquitos. If the decrease of insects and spiders, the increase in human allergies, and the reduced immune system are any indicator of what we're doing to our ecosystem, we're in trouble. (I'm not talking about global warming).
Thank you so much for this video! This was a very interesting and educational watch and I think it's really helped my husband in his journey to get over his fear of spiders. He had already come to a sort of truce with the Joro Spider after reading up on it when it became a hot topic a few years ago, but I think this video helped him gain an understanding and even appreciation for, not just the Cross Orb Weaver, but all Orb Weavers in general. (Especially the Spinybacked Orb Weaver, which he admitted has startled him before due to its rather unusual appearance.)
Thanks so much for this video. I live for the variety of spiders who show up on my porch every year. Last year I happened upon the first group of yellow spiderlings I've seen and that blew my mind. Orb weavers are a true favorite in my nightly flashlight porch inspection, but I appreciate them all. Fascinating. Oh, and I am glad you talked about that they can sense sound, because they react when my dog barks. Love your channel. Have to see what you've covered about funnel spiders. I have a huge gal this year who is missing a pedipalp. Cheers.
Growing up in the Philippines we used to play with spiders a lot sadly the end result is a dead spider but since I've been watching your videos I've come to love and appreciate spiders, your videos have taught me a lot. Thank you and keep those videos coming.
Thanks for sharing! Loved all the information in the video. I have noticed a huge decline in these spiders over the years in the US states where I have lived. They used to be everywhere, but now I rarely find them.
Before watching this video I noticed a huge web by the entrance of my house, I have always been grossed out by spiders and never stopped to watch it. Then I watched your video and later left to meet friends. We also happened to talk about spiders and on my way back I remembered your video on Orb Weavers and this time I stopped to look at the web. I was able to recognize the Orb Weaver and the way she spun the web with the hub higher than the center. A meter to the side another Orb Weaver but with a much smaller abdomen, I think it was a male. Now I find spiders very cool
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One morning in my backyard i noticed a jumping spider hunting one of these orbweavers on the side of my apartment. The way she escaped fascinated me... she never moved back to that spot
Good spides, thx
I absolutely hate & love orb weavers. Twice in my life i have walked full force into a web at face level with that big ass spider smacking me on my upper lip. Recently i had one set up directly in front of our front door. By some divine miracle i noticed before walking face first into that enormous web for a third time. So yeah beautiful spider please go elsewhere.
So you think that a spider who relies on feeling the vibrations in its web to locate trapped prey can hear noises? You don’t think that perhaps the sound waves vibrate the wave and thats what they are responding to? I mean to me it seems totally different than hearing. Like you don’t really hear bass you feel its vibration. I can hear those tones but not feel the vibration. Dunno.
@@theprinceofallsaiyans5830 fun fact, preying mantises have one ear somewhere on thier chest
On one very lonely and depressing night I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. About an hour into the walk I'm walking over a bridge and I see a spider building a web and I spent 30 minutes just observing this wonderful creature make this intricate and beautiful design and that really helped me that night.
ok
Glad we each can find the same similar beauty to be influential in times of need ;) hope you're doing well, friend
Watching spiders spinning their webs never ceases to be captivating.
Many, many times myself also. They're fascinating and relaxing creatures. So far removed from all of our worries and problems they may as well be in another planet.
Calms me
@@squidikkaKO
This is the kind of content the internet should be made of.
It is...?
It really is good. YT at its best.
Literally named after this kind of content.
@@mrhorse4298 seriously, this guy's stuff is a prime example of how awesome youtube can be sometimes
Site fidelity keeps me watching this channel.
Hilarious!😂
Hi
You might be half spider..
My daughter calls these spiders "People-Catchers" because of the way they always build their webs across the porch stairs or sidewalks, etc. and also because of how strong their webs are. They're strong enough to make us step backwards if we run into one, and the web usually survives the encounter! Or if we do break it (sorry, spider dude!) you can literally hear it snap. We always know fall is finally underway when the first People Catcher web appears across the porch steps.
For a while, a weaver like this made its web right in between my steps. I would open it like a gate by picking up two anchor threads and putting them back. They don't do that any more, but it is still always cool to find these spiders!
Yeah here in the UK there are TONS of them! I used to hate putting out the bins as there would always be a gauntlet of these guys at the end of the garden 😂
I love "people-catchers" as a nickname for them! Definitely apt.
@@curiousKuro16I LOVE that you did that!
@@travismcenery2919 Not to be confused with an object known as a man-catcher, a stick with a kind of clamp to trap other folks or animals in.
Though now I am thinking of a mancatcher styled like a spider...
Dear Travis,
I am a 78 yo semi-retired emergency physician. I am enjoying bing watching your content. It is great. Poor spiders. They do get blamed for every thing which just might be a bite. No one ever brought a spider. No one saw the spider. I treat the infection which is most likely cellulitis and /or Staph. Emotions about spiders are, I believe the root cause of all the palaver. Thanks for you education. I love your humor.
Had a beautiful orb weaver make its way inside last winter, noticed it on my curtains against the light of the TV, decided to let her stay since I figured she didn’t have long. She hung out in the exact same spot from December to February, I went out & greeted her/watched her every morning. One morning I came out & she wasn’t there, didn’t suspect anything cuz spiders move sometimes, but 2 days later when she didn’t return I actually walked over to her spot and found she passed & was hanging by a piece of silk near the floor. Loved her. Been waiting for more Orb weavers to show up all summer but no dice, hoping our little friends show up soon.
Yeah, it's always sad when they pass, but it's natural, I suppose. Sounds like she had a lovely spot with you for her time, though!
@@jupitartz Awww, a lovely tribute! ❤️As one who was always known to Everyone as having “arachnophobia”, you had me on the verge of tears. I have recently begun overcoming this as the first time ever, one evening I witnessed 2 orb weavers between my crepe myrtles right beyond my front porch! Instead of hyperventilating l was So enthralled, entranced and just amazed. Found myself watching, (one was smaller and in its own separate space). Found out later they were likely a couple, smaller male, and larger female. Later I went out again and they were both having dinner feasting each on a June bug. I had to laugh! Typical of south Louisiana! I did have to research to find out what they were which led me to Travis’ website and videos. My experience gave me a whole new perspective and Admiration as well as Respect for these amazing creatures! Travis’s video enhanced that SO much more as well as the comments and your story was awesome! (You know I really had never seen these before here) so strange. When they left in the morning, I was hoping they’d come back, ( never in my life had I thought I’d be saying this!). but they never did. Made me sad. Anyway Thanks Again for sharing your story, as this has also helped my appreciation of these beautiful creatures.
@@charlottedescant2130 I’d suggest (if you haven’t already) to look up jumping spiders and especially see videos of people handling them and playing with them. In my opinion, jumping spiders are by far the best Type of spiders for overcoming arachnophobia. My arachnophobia is off the charts but as crazy as it may sound, I actually made a spider friend few months back, it was a jumping spider. It lived on my night desk for 2 and half months and I would handle it every day, the spider would play on my hands, Jump from one finger to another, interact with me in a very intelligent way etc. They have excellent eyesight and can recognise faces. Our first interaction was amazing. I’ve put my finger in front of the spider, the spider looked at my finger and then turned around and looked me straight into the eyes. It knew this is my finger. Looked at the finger again, then in my eyes again (figuring me out?). Then it quickly touched my finger and looked me in the eyes again, did this a few times (checking my reaction?) until it (presumably) decided Im not a threat and finally walked onto my finger and since then we’ve been friends, hanging out and playing every day. There’s nothing more cute than when they Look you in the eyes. Their eyes are big (for a spider) so you can easily see them. When they Look you in the eyes, they actually lift their head a little bit and you see them staring at you, then they tilt their head also while looking at you. It’s crazy and cute. This spider would do that whilst on my hand, then move closer and repeat several times until it eventually reached my shoulder to have a closer Look of my face lol. I hope, at least, that this story gives you a smile and/or adds a new perspective to your view on spiders.
Come get a couple of mine next spring, my house is the cross orb weaver oasis
Genuinely made me tear up a bit. We love our spiders in our neighborhood 🥲
Best spider content on youtube.
Agreed!
Travis is truly the Bob Newhart of Arachnology
Thank you so much - it means a lot to hear that!
Man this one was fantastic. I definitely look at orb weavers a little different now! And thanks for reminding me about the invertebrate crisis, man I’m scared to see what the next few decades look like for our creepy crawly friends
These are the spiders I was trying to describe to you one time. I had no idea what they were called. I hate 'em.
@@skeeter197140I love 'em.
I fear for inverts in the coming decades too, but the work of people like yourself and Travis gives me some hope.
It's not just invertebrates who will suffer. When the bottom of the food-chain starts to collapse, it's a sign that the entire system is crumbling, and those of us who consider ourselves to be at the "top" of it are in danger of extinction, too.
Yeah, I was really shocked to see just how much they had declined in Switzerland. I'm happy that they're still common here in Canada, but they seem to be an important "canary species". Nancy's video on this is excellent.
I went out on my porch one morning about a month ago and walked right through one of these beauty's webs. It was dark and I forgot it was there. When I reached up to wipe what I thought was just web off my face, to my horror the spider was on my forehead, and bit it when I touched her.
I developed a red bump, was a little hot and nauseous for a couple of days, and it looked like a big pimple for a week or so. Inconvenient, but nothing severe.
Before finding your channel I was a pretty big arachnophobe. I would have probably gone to urgent care, and certainly would have killed the spider. Instead I just kept an eye on the bite and noted it wasn't getting worse. And the spider is still making her web on my porch, but she generously moved it to a more convenient spot. I named her Stephanie.
Thank you for your videos, please keep up the great work!
I'm relieved Stephanie survived. I hate the thought of crushing creatures accidentally in the dark
@@tadrakyn1691 Love this! So sweet you gave Stephanie a Name❣️ As I am not used of seeing Orb weavers here much, if that would’ve been me in your case…..I most likely would have passed out out cold 🥴😵💫 while Miss Spider thankfully survived and went about spinning in a new location. Seriously I have a new appreciation and respect for them as I learn more about them and gradually overcoming my phobia. Still have a bit (maybe a lot) for the crawling and climbing ones.
Very noble and generous of you. Health and success to Steph!
I have absolutely called out of work due to spiders. There were a pair of baby orb weavers that had made a double web across my front door, and I just couldn't bring myself to wreck their pretty webs. I got to chill and watch movies and they got to eat - I had geckos at the time so sprinkled a few fruit flies in their webs as a gesture of friends.
I love that this happened but I gotta know - what exactly did you tell your boss?
Did the call out for the weeks it would have taken for the webs to naturally go away?
@@dcfromthevorb weavers eat and rebuild their webs every day
@@dallaswalker340no they dont, why lie about such a simple topic?
orb weaver nets can stay up entire summers and will stay inhibted by that same spider if undisturbed. the waste of energy in rebuilding every day would be ridiculous.
@@leonhardable You are wrong. I have had them in my back yard for fourty years and have seen them remove the web just before sunup, eating it. And at nightfall they begin building a complete new web. Not a "net", a web. You may have a different species that does not do this but to be dismissive to another without reason is wrong. If you can post a comment on YT you can surely look up the information yourself.
back when I asked you to do a video on these guys, I was living in an apartment and they were EVERYWHERE, they basically had taken over my balcony. I used to just watch them out the window all the time, one had lost a leg and stayed around long enough to grow a new one, which made me happy lol
Glad I could finally get to the species for you. Thanks for the comment!
Man that orb weaver setup you made never fails to disappoint. Super frickin cool
Yay Spencer!
@@skeeter197140 👀
I know! I still sort of can't believe it worked. Fed Claire tonight and she still seems just perfectly happy to stay there. Really wanna try it with Argiope. Come to think of it, I wonder if it would work with a Joro...
I had the chance to see a garden orb weaver create a web, and it was one of the most amazing things I've seen.
It really is fascinating to watch! Thanks for the comment!
This video unlocked a long lost memory for me - in Austria, we call these guys the Kreuzspinne ("cross spider") and as a child I was always told they're incredibly dangerous (probably because there aren't many spider species in middle Europe that can actually pierce human skin even if the effects are negligible). I used to be very afraid of spiders, but one day when visiting friends outside the city, I saw a cross orb weaver sitting in her web right outside the window, and, while a bit freaked out, I then watched her during the entirety of our dinner. That was probably my earliest (and fondest) memory of me learning to coexist with spiders. Thank you for making these videos - you're great at explaining things and always manage to inject some humor into your videos. UA-cam needs more creators like you, and the world needs more spiders like these.
Thanks so much for the kind comments - it means a lot! I'm glad I've been able to make things clear and understandable without being painful to watch. ;)
@@travismcenery2919 well, no moreso painful than the post-laughter from your "so I found one of these in my house... now what?" overreaction montages haha gets me everytime
I just wanted to say a quick "thank you". I have not been a particularly big spider fan - without running away screaming.
You've made me respect these little creatures more over the last few months. I now let small spiders out on my hand. If they just hang around in an upper corner of the room, I let them live in peace and am happy that I don't have a problem with fruit flies in summer.
These spiders, which we call "Kreuzspinnen" in Germany, have a very bad reputation here. They are said to be one of the very few poisonous spiders. But I now know that this is not the case.
It's a shame that these little creatures have become so rare here.
You're very welcome, and thank you - it is always encouraging to hear that the channel and the videos are making a difference to people. It's great to hear that you've made progress - keep it up!
Last year during the coldest part of the fall, I noticed a small cat spider, Araneus gemmoides, sitting in a web at work. A few days later we were going to experience a severe cold snap in our area. Fearing for the spider, I brought the little guy home. He/she is still alive and built a very lovely web, now having molted three or four times over winter.
Orb weavers are absolutely beautiful. There's a few local spiders I watch and occasionally feed in my area, my favorite thing is seeing them take on paper wasps and large hornets. If anything can handle them, it's orb weavers. Spiders are fucking awesome!
Awesome! Spider lover after mine own heart.
I am BLOWN AWAY at the depth of orb weavers. I had no idea they were this complex. Having kept several Latrodectus Hesperus, this makes me want to take care of an orb weaver as well.
They're amazing to watch. A bit tricky to get them to spin a web where you want them to, but if you've got a big enough enclosure, you can do it!
Hi there, Travis!
Curiosity led me here because there’s a MASSIVE and beautiful female orb-weaver spider living on my porch. She’s been hanging around for about a month now.
Funnily enough, my mom and I decided to name her Charlotte shortly after we discovered her.
I witnessed her mating ritual! It happened the night before last! (He survived!)
Her and her babies are safe with us, I promise.
Thank you so much for creating this video and for teaching me all about orb-weavers!
I know they're named for the pattern, but especially with the angry octopus, I am greatly amused by the idea that these spiders are perpetually peeved.
😂 oh my god hahahaha i’m definitely going to think of cross as referring to them being annoyed instead of the pattern from now on lol that didn’t even register until i saw your comment after the octopus 😂😂
Love this conceptualization. ;)
Actually, I didn’t think it looked angry, I think “Astonished Octopus” would be more apt.
Orb weavers are so benevolent, but I too enjoy the idea of these guys being angry at all times. Just extremely upset spiders who weave beautiful webs while in a rage.
@@jungtothehuimang it’s how they get their rage out of their system 🤣
These videos are the perfect blend of both entertaining and informative, I'm so glad you're making them!
Thank you so much, I'm glad they're hitting the mark!
I live in Washington, these dudes are EVERYWHERE. Growing up, they were always called garden spiders, everyone calls them that. I've been trying to look them up the past couple of days, but haven't been able to find much, mostly because to most people "garden spider" is a totally different type of orb Weaver.
Very fortuitous that you'd post this video just for me! Thank you :)
Glad it came at a good time, and thanks for the comment!
I grew up calling them garden spiders! I think we have multiple species in washington as I've seen some solid yellow and also some grey orb weavers here. They're wonderful little buddies I used to hold the tiny babies when they came out of their egg sack
I also live in Washington and they completely have taken over my apartment complex, but are at least polite enough to stay outside. I’ve seen plenty of other spiders inside my apartment but never the cross orb weaver so I do appreciate them for that.
5:39 I’m a couple bowls in and was covering the right side of my screen when this happened. Never been more scared in my life
Brother I'm about to join you. XD
I am fortunate enough to have these little guys in the yard to observe. Glad they are still around here.
I've never seen Charlotte's Web before, so I had to. Not only I now learnt this whole channel is full of references to that movie, but I had to finish the video all covered in tears - Yes, I paused the video, went watch the movie then came back
I love charlotte’s web!!
Yes our barn spiders are important too
seeing how they run a supplementary line to the edge of their web and hook one of their legs onto it so they can get a kind of remote security alert is CRAZY COOL!! I never knew spiders could be so fascinating :)
Yeah, this was one of my favourite things I learned about them, too!
@@travismcenery2919 The macro shot you were able to get of the silk hooked around the leg was sooooo cool!! That’s something you’d never notice just walking by, I always thought they would sit in the middle of the web at all times, this was the first time I learned they actually wait on the outer edge which makes a lot more sense for hunting :) I’m going to rewatch your in depth how webs are made video now that I have more information to go into it with :) I gotta say the moment in that video showing the massive web over the river was just incredible :)
Absolutely one of my favourite spiders too!
An awesome start to the weekend when you get to sit down to a new McEnery drop.
Keep doing your thing Travis, always a pleasure to see a new addition to the library from you, I've sent your vids to more than one arachnophobe to help them get over their discomfort (with a forewarning of course!) too. The worlds a fascinating place, we shouldn't be so scared of what we don't understand.
Thanks so much for the kind words, and for the support with sharing the videos around. It really counts for a lot, and I'm glad the channel has been worthwhile!
None of these super amazing discoveries are more amazing than knowing how in this universe can they run with slim legs and touch the right parts of the web without eyes on each leg. They make it look easy, but when you think about what they are doing, it looks impossible!
It really is impressive! I didn't see studies on how exactly they do that, but maybe they're out there?
They must have amazing proprioception and a detailed spatial map.
This man is a true informer, always makes a banger and dropped his sources. Keep making good content man!
I find it terrifying and disheartening that we're living through a massive extinction event and it's not being talked about more.
What are u talking about? they are everywhere here. My favorite spider
I just saw the whole video, and thats terrifying! Could it have something to do with our wireless communication I wonder?! Still in abundance here luckily
Glad i found this video. I found one of these one night who made web about 8 feet wide, i kid you not. It was across from an umbrella to some patio furniture. I took a couple pics with the flash highlighting it as best i could. The size and perfection of that web amazed me.
Babe wake up, Travis uploaded a new Spiders in Your House
Thank you for a very informative and entertaining video. Every October (Near Halloween) since 2015 I get a visit from one of these guys, usually on the front porch with an almost perfect arch to his web where I don’t have to duck when I walk out the front door.
Although I put out my Halloween decorations complete with fake web in the yard, I leave his alone. Plus no matter how hard I try, his or her web design is always better than mine, who knows, maybe she gets a kick outta me trying to out do her.
Thanks to this video I’ll have an even more appreciation of her when she appears in a few weeks.
A couple years ago I found what I think might have been a Western Spotted Orb Weaver in my patio garden. I've been arachnophobic for most of my life, but I left her be, and kind of sidled around her to water every day, and in doing so got to watch her entire life cycle. I fell completely in love, and am slowly learning more about local spiders, so that I can leave the beneficial ones alone. This video was extremely educational, and has deepened my affection for orb weavers. I'm not completely comfortable with all spiders, but the more I learn the less the fear and discomfort has a hold on me, and is being replaced with fascination. I'm grateful to the little spider on my patio, and all her little babies, and I'm grateful for your video too. This is the first video I've watched on your channel, but I am about to go watch a bunch of others! Thank you for making these so in-depth!
Absolutely great video, as always. I would love to see you talk about argiope aurantia as well.
I'd love to cover them! I actually want to try the open-air non-captivity thing with one of those. Would be amazing to keep one like that.
I live in South Florida and recently had an orb weaver make its home in my girlfriend's porch for about two weeks. Her and her brother must have walked into its web a handful of times while going to work in the early morning before I had to move it. Nothing better than adrenaline to get the day going!. I took the spider and relocated it to a tree by a local grocery store, hoping it would make a home there.
I love spiders, but scientifically, so the fear of holding one is what I'm trying to get over while watching these videos. Jumping spiders are no problem, but some of these orb weavers look like military-grade weapons. Seeing them on the ground makes me feel like I can pick them up, but when they're in their webs at eye level, I can't get myself to disturb them or their beautiful webs. Thanks for the video! this definitely helps out, if I ever handle one, I'll have you to thank for it!
SYNCHRONICITY IN ACTION! lol no but seriously this is the first spider I’m able to identify by sight ever since starting my journey to conquer my extreme arachnophobia!!! Literally yesterday I walked out of my apartment and BAM! There was a MASSIVE, like at least the size of a quarter, Cross Orb Weaver that decided to make its 3 foot wide web alongside the walkway out of my apartment unit. Other than the jumping spider that’s been visiting my sliding door this was the first time I’ve ever seen a spider relatively close and not been afraid!! I took my time looking for the glint of the silk so I wouldn’t accidentally catch any piece of it and end up with the spider on me (that would’ve ruined my whole un-arachnophobia progress lol) but I was totally calm and not scared at all to walk by once I knew the web wasn’t in the way. I know if this happened even a few months ago I would’ve literally refused to leave my apartment, no exaggeration. I would’ve been frozen and there’s absolutely no way I would’ve been able to force myself to walk that close to it, absolutely no chance. It felt really amazing to not have that fear, I just can’t thank you enough. I’ve said this before but your channel and the my wild backyard channel are the two that I watch to help with my arachnophobia and I quite literally couldn’t have done this without you guys. Thank you for helping me ❤ I’m extremely anxious about a lot of things and i’m just so glad to start being so much less anxious about spiders.
Before I walked in my door I saw the spider tucked up into the corner above my neighbors door and smiled at it before walking inside and this was the FIRST VIDEO that popped up on youtube as soon as I sat down.
Synchronicity at work lol also thank you for the angry octopus comparison, you’re right it made me laugh and now that will be what I see from now on, helping me be less afraid even more q
I'm so excited for you to conquer your fear, keep up the good work! Spiders are just little guys
@@pattersondh thank you so much your encouragement is a massive boost for me! my adhd completely takes over in youtube comments sorry for such a wall of text lol 😂 I saw the little guy creating a new web in the corner in the overhang above my neighbors door in the entryway to our apartments today and tried to get a closer look without looking like i was pointing my phones flashlight directly at their door like a peeper 🤣🤣🤣 thank goodness my neighbor likes me lol but yeah I watched it making its web for a few minutes using my iphones’ magnifier setting to zoom in as much as possible and was able to watch it kicking the silk into place and it was just really a nice experience knowing more about what was happening ❤️❤️ when I finally decided to go inside I said out loud “okay well your web is looking great, see you tomorrow, protect my door from bugs too if you can, i like you more than her” (jokingly referring to my neighbor) just being smart and talking out loud not thinking and as i was closing the door I remembered they could sense the acoustics and it was an ever better moment
Sorry for the later reply here, but this was so nice to read. I'm always really happy to hear of people working to overcome their arachnophobia, and even shifting to an appreciation for these animals, so I'm thrilled to hear that you've been working on it and that you're really moving forward with it. I know it can be a really big deal for some people, so for you to get from where you started to where you are is amazing. And if my content has helped with that, then I'm honored to have been a part! Spencer at @MyWildBackyard has done a lot of amazing work that has helped a lot of people with it, too, so I'm not surprised to hear you mention him - he's great.
Thanks so much for the comment, and keep up the journey!
@@travismcenery2919 Thanks so much Travis :) I really appreciate your supportive comments and your content :) You and Spencer have really helped give me a sense of control and curiosity has totally replaced fear :) I know these longer videos take a lot of time to research and record but I hope you know it’s all totally worth it and there’s so many comments from people like me that have found your channel and have started working on our fears because of you :) Thank you for sharing your passion with us on youtube, I haven’t missed a video and I’m always excited to see a new one :)
Ive never seen a channel that goes so in depth like you do on spiders your vids are amazing its refreshing to watch a spider video where not the only information you get is how dangerous/not dangerous they are
certainly have noticed the steep decline in number of insects at least on two continents in my lifetime....
I don't quite understand how it is not a bigger deal than it is, their decline and eventual loss can collapse structure of life as we know it on this planet....
Yes, it can. Fortunately we're seeing a BIT more awareness of this but there's still a lot to be done.
It's so interesting to learn about these neato spiders. I remember horseback riding through the woods as a child and running face first into one of their webs was my biggest fear, and it happened often considering they were stretched beautifully (and unfortunately) across all the narrow trails. The spinybacked orb weavers (not that I knew that's what they were at the time) always terrified me and I'd glue myself to my horses neck to avoid them by ducking under their webs. Sometimes if we saw them before we barreled into them, we'd be careful to try to navigate under or around their webs, sometimes only needing to break one strand to squeeze through. I miss those days, and this brought me back there, and taught me something besides. Thanks!
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment!
Ah, to terrify giants
Hey Travis! I have a cross weaver in my doorway since yesterday! She was moved 3 times, but keeps coming back to the doorway. Thank you! ♥️
Orb weavers and jumping spiders have been my favorites since I was a small child, oh so many decades ago. Learning that orb weavers have so many wonderful things about them I wasn't aware of was great. Thanks for another awesome video, and may the spiders in your house and yard always be plentiful.
Im possibly obsessed with spiders, and orb weavers hold a special place in my heart because they're everywhere where I live. This video was so well made and super fascinating. I'll be binging through the rest. Thanks for sharing! 🕸️
Wonderful presentation once again. Thank you sir. I'm not a morning person but have spent many glorious early morning hours observing and photographing orb weavers. Highly recommended
Thanks so much, and thanks for the comment! There definitely is something serene about watching spiders work early in the morning.
I am so happy to stumble upon this channel.
Excellent information about the species, and delivered with a great amount of humor and fun 😅 Loving it from Ontario, Canada 💗
I have enjoyed many of your videos, but this video stood out from the rest. In fact, I would say it was outstanding with so much information. You taught me a lot about the Orb Weaver Spider. I have plenty of spiders in my back garden, I live next to a woodland in Plymouth England UK. My outhouse and garage seem to favour cellar spiders and there are plenty of Orb Weavers in my garden. I once saw an Orb Weaver web in my front garden which was about three feet in diameter, and it was beautiful with dew on it early morning. Thank you for this video.
This has to be the best spider video I have ever seen. I have been teaching a lot of these topics about orb weavers (and other spider programs) for years and also trying to compile a satisfactory video on much of this subject matter. Now, I don't know WHAT to do, lol, this video would put any video of mine to shame. Hats off to you! amazing.
Thanks so much, that means a lot!
I was fascinated watching a Trashline Orbweaver in my mom's yard, while visiting for vacation. I was learning macro photography and spent a lot of time watching it. I never knew they tightened their web when the web gets too loose and watching the spider do repairs was really interesting. I also got to watch it clean water drops off it's web. Really funny as it would grab a droplet with parts of its mouth, and then passed the droplet to front palps and chuck the water over its back. It would continue this till it got the area cleared of water, then return to it's the trashline and blend into it's camo.
I was listening to this video while working in my garden, and I was able to go look at a cross orb weaver with a line from her hiding spot to the center of her web while you were talking about it. It was so cool witnessing the behavior in person while learning about it!
Love this video, watched and loved your yellow sac spider video also. I’m especially excited by Claire and how cool that relationship is!
I have serval cross orbweavers on my porch that I’ve been feeding the last couple months.
This video made me love these spiders even more. Thanks for making these very informative videos!
"As high as possible..." Lol, Travis. Loved this video. I grew up keeping this species in Washington State. In captivity, I had a female live for 3 years. She was huge, roughly two inches across with her legs bunched up. She was so heavy for her web that the web strained and bowed. I think she wasn't ideally meant to be alive that long. This was likely because she didn't breed. She laid empty egg sacs with no slings, though. I think she lived a happy life of eating lots of captured moths, flies, grasshoppers (mountain crickets) and when they were abundant, mayflies. Nobody wanted me keeping any spiders, but my mother's fear of flying insects and my incentive for catching them were increased, so it was allowed. Childhood of a biologist. lol
Every fall, I am visited by orb weavers that look like little crab spiders making gorgeous, intricate webs from the top of my outside walkways ceiling down to the railing facing east. They usually arrive the first week of October and are usually gone by early December… I don’t know where they go, but they do go. They are so beautiful and it’s fun to watch them make and remake their webs what is the time that they’re here and they’re always in the same place. I tried talking to one up close once And they did a little dance for me. It was very, very cool to watch.
As usual, your videos are incredibly interesting and well researched. I love it each time you posts show up in my feed!
Thanks so much, that's great to hear!
Fantastic video! I grew up in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and these spiders were everywhere, especially in the fall!! I always thought they were pretty, and now that I live in the Midwest, I just don’t see them. I’ve always wondered why, and now I know. Thank you so much for doing this video! It was wonderful to learn more about a familiar critter from my childhood, and I am so impressed by orb-weavers in general now.
I really enjoy the humor you put into your videos along side the information. Thank you for doing what you do!
Love these babies and have been "raising" them in my yard for the past couple years and always describe them as a very polite spider, if you walk through their web they'll try to rebuild it at a slightly different location nearby until it finds a point out of the way of my housemate and I walking by. This spring I saw a ton of juveniles around the yard making webs between flowers and learning that they eat pollen at that stage blows my mind but makes so much sense with it's protein and beneficial compounds. Thank you so much for making these videos and of great enough quality and approachability to send to friends.
You're most welcome, and thank you for the kind comment! I'm really glad you find the videos helpful enough to send to friends - I appreciate the sharing!
Cross orbweavers are my favorite spiders. I’ve got em all around the house, and in the garage, in the shed, I even found 2 *in my office* recently. Inside! I was quite surprised!
The orb weaver that lived at my house in the city (in the back yard) made a big zig zag in the center of its web and took its web down every morning at sunrise and put it back every nite. My grandson and i used to watch the beauty of its web art several eves per week. My grandson at 4 yrs old would sit attentively and watch and he didn't let me forget about it. It was so much fun to both of us. But, when we moved to the the country, same color and looking spider left her zig zagged center web up 24/7. The last two spiders in the country we watched both left their webs up 24/7 for about 2 weeks while hanging upside down vertical in the web. And both had this behavior: bug food got in her web and she wrapped and moved it out of her web and hung the wrapped food dangling on a string next to the web (where the end of the web attached to the wooden wall) and would repair the small hole left by the bug in her web with the zig zag repair, each time she added the bugs to the one string dangling near the web, in about 2 weeks she had several bugs added to the string set them aside with a clean web left for more food to arrive, then she laid an egg and attached it closelt next to the string of bugs then took down her web and left. Left behind were her wrapped bugs dangling on one string and the egg was on a string right next to the string with wrapped bugs, both strings tucked under and hidden from open sight of predators. . The mother removed her web and she was gone. My question is , was the 'city' spider a male? It was the exact same spider as the one in the country but did not have the same behavior with putting bugs on a separate string and we never saw the city spider lay an egg either. And why don't we ever see male and female in the same web? When do they mate?
Love these spiders! It's crazy how thick their webs are. One time, I was watering someone's garden and night started coming and as I was hurrying to finish up, I leaned over this fence that had an awning above it and could feel the tension of the web. I was able to back up before actually breaking it and saw a beautiful web, with a cute little orb weaver in the middle, that had been created in less than an hour, because it definitely wasn't there when I started.
Hello from Maine USA. At our last apartment we had a beautiful and very large orb weaver who claimed the area just outside our back door as her own. She didn't attach to the doorframe, but rather to the entrance step of the second floor apartment just above us. Nonetheless, her being there caused us to make that area off limits for as long as she was there. We just didn't want to even inadvertently cause damage to her gorgeous web or her. We would leave the indoor porch light on to attract insects for her and she was very well-fed. She was there for the longest time - even after weather was getting chilly, leaves falling and such. But every morning we would see her.
Then one day she was gone. It actually made us sad. We still couldn't bring ourselves to knock down the tattered remnants of her web. Of course eventually there was no trace left.
UNTIL SPRING!! She had evidently tucked away an egg cocoon and when the bebbehs hatched it was hilarious! There were the tiniest orb weavers EVERYWHERE! And they spun the tiniest, perfect little webs. Of course "Charlotte's Web" instantly came to mind. We tried to put as many as possible out in the garden, but our resident "jumpyboi" jumping spider also had quite a feast. Circle of life and all that. An awesome experience, especially for me as at one time I was terrified of spiders!
Your videos are always such a treat. Well-researched, informative and entertaining - and I love how much affection and appreciation you have for these amazing creatures.
Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying the channel.
Very interesting video! My daughter showed me a beautiful orb weaver at her house. We live in Albuquerque, NM. We love them and their orbs!
recently stumbled upon ur channel! as of right now ur my fav channel in all of YT! Great stuff man and thanks for educating and sharing your knowledge!!!!
Having just found your channel, I am very happy to see you still post. Subscribed and joining as member too. Love your work!!!
i live in canada and these little guys are everywhere, especially across bridges. I love seeing their beautiful webs.
I’m living in a new state where they have giant hentz orbweavers. They’re lovely babies. I really loved watching them build their webs every evening in the fall. I gave the ones on my deck names. Everyone I know thinks I’m kind of nuts for that lol. They really opened up my mind to how cool and unique and beautiful spiders can be, and that they can coexist peacefully with us in so many cases. Now I’m always researching every new spider I see and am subscribed to your channel!
I am so glad to have found your fascinating site. I look forward to learning so much more about these little critters, once I get over itching myself continuously....
I have two of these living on my porch right now. One is near the porch light which is the perfect place since all the bugs are attracted to it at night and one has made her web in my office window. One is tan and smaller and the other is grey and larger and I LOVE observing them. I get to watch the weaving AND the hunting and they are the most gorgeous creatures! I am a former arachnophobe and the more I learn about spiders, the more I love them. I still hate Sac spiders though. They leave a mess on my ceilings and have no sense of personal space.
Thank you for sharing the web building facts! I'm embarrassed to say that I have overlooked orb weavers for most of my spider-loving life. I focused more on wolf spiders and jumping spiders as my favorites, but learning about just how complicated and incredible spiderwebs actually are has led to a new appreciation of our little orb weaving friends. It's incredible how much goes into web building... and the lengths that we humans have gone to in order to figure them out.
I have lots of what I believe to be Neoscona around my apartment. One of them built a big web on my porch and I was delighted, thinking "good, catch all the mosquitoes." I even gave her a name: Lala Barina, after a spider monster from the Monster Hunter series. She even found a boyfriend, I walked outside one day to see them together. But a few days later I found she and the web were gone, I think someone saw her and called property management. I hope they just knocked down the web and she managed to escape. I seriously miss her.
Ooh one of my favorites! So photogenic!
When they build webs on our deck where we hang out, we feed them when we're around. One built a web across our kitchen window and lived there for a fairly long time and that was great. Bugs would be attracted by the kitchen light, and we got a great view of the action.
I live in an old farmhouse with vinyl siding and all.summer the front explodes every night with 20 or so webs from these ladies, sometimes in windows or in the door frame and I watched this episode like a Hollywood tell all giving me all the information on my housemates! Thank you!!!
One of my favorites as well, along with the similar A. Cavaticus. I've had the pleasure of observing many of these outside my Texas apartment this spring and summer. I appreciate your dedication to these videos, I always learn a great deal and come back later for reference.
When I was a kid, my mom and I called the sidewalk on the way to my bus stop "spider alley", because when walking through it in the spring and fall, we would see a massive amount of really big orb weavers out and about, usually up in the power lines and stuff.
God bless the algorithm recommending me this video and channel!! I’ve got one of these hanging out right outside my door next to the light and it’s nice to see them just chillin
And yet another great, award-winning (or should be) educational spider video. THX!
Really enjoy these spiders. I got to hang out with them a bit while I was redoing all of the flooring in my house over the course of last year. I setup a popup canopy on my outdoor deck. They set up their webs all around the canopy. I watched them grow big and fat and the effects of getting saw dust in their webs. Theyre really docile and quite lovely to watch. I suppose there's no sense in harassing one with 🧀 Another great and informative video! Looking forward to the next one!
Glad you enjoy these spiders as much as I do! I've got a bunch of them living on my back deck, and I love seeing them every day. And you're right, not much point in a cheese test with these ones. Thanks for the comment!
Finally! I've been following you and expecting a video about these gorgeous creatures for a long time! Thank you!
Excellent work with this video, it's amazing how much information these spiders can glean from the vibrations of their prey in the web! I also loved the graphics you made to illustrate that concept.
A cross orb weaver had made its web along the face of my house's siding, I had found it about a month ago on a cold night while I was taking out my dogs. I was enamored with its web and impressive size. I gave it a couple of gentle pokes, and it was non responsive, I left it on its web that night - it was still there in the morning moving about like it wasn't frigid out that night.
Recently, I haven't seen it along the siding of my house, but its intricate web still remains (even if it's missing most of its parts). I doubt I'll see it again, but I'm hopeful I'll see more next year.
The orb weavers have always been some of my favorite spiders to watch do their thing, mostly because they are large enough to actually see what's going on.
Yup, that's one of the great things about them. Some smaller spiders are really fascinating but they're a lot more difficult to observe.
Really love your content and delivery man! Hopefully you are making more spider lovers in the world - I certainly already am one and even more so when I can watch and learn about them like this.
You know, the overall knowledge you give to people about spiders is pretty awesome, though I also can't help but be comforted by the typewriter noise you use during the transitions between segments. It's the little things that make your channel exceptional :)
I've been a fan of spiders for over 50 years and look forward to every one of your episodes. I am fortunate to have a very large wolf spider living in my garage and more recently an extremely small spider has taken up residence on the back door window. This spider was so small that at first I didn't see it only a messy web that appeared to be empty. Upon close inspection I noticed the less than chia seed size spider lurking in the corner of the web. I've been opening the over head garage door after dark using the kitchen light to draw insects to the web. I'm amazed at how quickly this little guy has doubled in size. It is still so small that I cannot tell what kind of spider it is but it is fun watching it grow. Thanks for creating such an amazing series. 😎✌
You're very welcome, and thanks for the comment. I'm really glad you're enjoying the channel. And yeah, smaller spiders can be extremely difficult to identify. Often the type of web can help you narrow it to family but it can get tricky after that point.
@@travismcenery2919 😎
I have "messy" native gardens using NO chemicals that I started in 2020. For the last two years, I've been seeing orb weaver spiders, others, again. Spiders fascinate so I'm over joyed at seeing them in my yard. Spiders and bats are two of my favorite animals. Beautiful predators.
I’ve never really been scared of spiders but always a little apprehensive around them. After watching many of your videos I am way more comfortable around them now. You have educated me to the point where I actually enjoy them. I encounter them on a daily basis so it helps tremendously. Thank you.
I absolutely loved this video! Thank you thank you thank you for doing this. I’ve always had a fondness for these little kids since I was a child and this new auditory information fascinates me.
Thank you for making me feel better about this huge girl 🕸️🕷️ on the outside of my house, I appreciate her now instead of fearing her.
She built her web behind my rose of Sharon tree which is in full bloom and each bloom has loads of pollen on its stigma and a black ant 🐜 hiding inside. Nature is so beautiful ❤️
But not the camel crickets, I'm gonna have a heart attack if one jumps on my leg again 😢
Oh yeah. The ladies get very big!
I love seeing cross orbweavers. Every fall for years now, multiple big females will come to live on my mom's back porch, webbing across the outside edges to catch the insects attracted by the porch lights and the porch top garden.
Another fascinating and very educational video Mr McEnery. Thank you for all your amazing work.
As a landscaper I was looking for a reason to not get irritated 100 times a day when I take an orb weaver to the face. You did that for me. Thanks. 👍
So glad this video came up today. I’ve been watching my little window friends for a year and a half now absolutely facilitated by what they do. Now I’m in even more awe, spiders are incredible and I wish more people can see that someday.
Thank you for making this! My kiddo has been interested but afraid of spiders, and learning with your channel has been great for making things less scary. Got the spider spotter app and doing our part for science! Keep up the great work!
Fascinating.
When I had a Nature Center I tried to see if the Shamrock Spider (Araneus trifolium) I had could be tricked into coming our of her leaf hidey-hole by me tickling her web. Nope . She knew the difference between a live prey item and me trying to fool her.
@@rayspencer5025 what is a shamrock spider? I’m interested
A friend of mine shared this video with me. You've caught me in your web.
This was fascinating!
What an amazing study of this beautiful spider. I had a pet orb at my kitchen window, it was eaten by a pidgeon but I did get some beautiful photos before it was gone. What an amazing creature it was to watch, as every day she would renew her web. She worked on her web every day. Anyway this video was very enjoyable, thankyou.
Great video, Travis. The spiders hearing with their web was a real eye-opener. I've been an insect and spider watch for most of my life. I remember many more Argiope aurantia, honey, bumble bees, and grasshoppers. This was back in the '60s in Chicago, IL. Plus the city would have these trucks with large blowers that would spray the tres for mosquitos. If the decrease of insects and spiders, the increase in human allergies, and the reduced immune system are any indicator of what we're doing to our ecosystem, we're in trouble. (I'm not talking about global warming).
Thank you so much for this video! This was a very interesting and educational watch and I think it's really helped my husband in his journey to get over his fear of spiders. He had already come to a sort of truce with the Joro Spider after reading up on it when it became a hot topic a few years ago, but I think this video helped him gain an understanding and even appreciation for, not just the Cross Orb Weaver, but all Orb Weavers in general. (Especially the Spinybacked Orb Weaver, which he admitted has startled him before due to its rather unusual appearance.)
Thanks so much for this video. I live for the variety of spiders who show up on my porch every year. Last year I happened upon the first group of yellow spiderlings I've seen and that blew my mind. Orb weavers are a true favorite in my nightly flashlight porch inspection, but I appreciate them all. Fascinating. Oh, and I am glad you talked about that they can sense sound, because they react when my dog barks. Love your channel. Have to see what you've covered about funnel spiders. I have a huge gal this year who is missing a pedipalp. Cheers.
Growing up in the Philippines we used to play with spiders a lot sadly the end result is a dead spider but since I've been watching your videos I've come to love and appreciate spiders, your videos have taught me a lot. Thank you and keep those videos coming.
That is so nice to hear, thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the channel.
Thanks for sharing! Loved all the information in the video. I have noticed a huge decline in these spiders over the years in the US states where I have lived. They used to be everywhere, but now I rarely find them.
Before watching this video I noticed a huge web by the entrance of my house, I have always been grossed out by spiders and never stopped to watch it.
Then I watched your video and later left to meet friends.
We also happened to talk about spiders and on my way back I remembered your video on Orb Weavers and this time I stopped to look at the web.
I was able to recognize the Orb Weaver and the way she spun the web with the hub higher than the center.
A meter to the side another Orb Weaver but with a much smaller abdomen, I think it was a male.
Now I find spiders very cool