Female Fishing Spider and Spiderlings

Large Fishing Spiders are not an uncommon find in my barn.  They are usually found positioned head down on the concrete block wall.  When I noticed this female slipping into and out of the gap between the large sliding door and the barn wall, I figured something out of the ordinary must be happening.

I carefully opened the door and found an empty egg case and a mass of young spiderlings.

The female Fishing Spider carries her egg case with her until the eggs are near to hatching.  At that point she builds a nursery web and inserts the egg case near its center.

The newly hatched spiders spend about a week living in the protection of the nursery web.  During this time they utilize the last of the energy from their eggs, become competent crawlers and increase their size slightly.  After their first molt, they leave the web and strike out on their own.

I’m not sure of the lifespan of these spiders, but it must take a female two or three years before she lays a batch of eggs.  I may have been seeing the same spider for the last couple of years.  With luck, I’ll have the good fortune of meeting some of these spiderlings when they have become adults.

Fishing Spider

I use this flat rock to monitor the progress of breeding Streamside Salamanders.  This section of the upper reaches of the creek typically has a moderate flow of clean water through the winter and spring seasons.  The salamanders visit here in good numbers and have used the underside of this rock for the past several years as a repository for their eggs.  The rock is not embedded in the stream gravel and is easy to lift for a peek beneath.  No salamanders were found during my last check beneath the rock.  Instead, as I tipped the rock up on its side, a large spider fell from beneath and began floating away in the current.

I quickly scooped the creature out of the water and found it to be a female Fishing Spider, Dolomedes vittatus.  This species is found near small, running streams and is covered by water repellent hairs that allow them to walk on the water’s surface.  They can also submerge, with the hairs maintaining a surface film of air around their bodies.  I couldn’t tell if this individual had actually been utilizing an air pocket beneath the rock or if it was just utilizing the film of air covering its body.  The bottom of the rock is smooth and fully submerged, so if an air pocket was present, it would have to be small.  Using the warmth of the water is a neat way to survive subfreezing temperatures.  Even at its coldest, the temperature of flowing water in the creek doesn’t drop below 32 degrees F.  When nighttime temperatures hover near zero, taking advantage of the warmer water temperature is a distinct advantage.  The surface of the air film covering the spider would also allow for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange with the flowing water.

The spider was cold and its first movements caused it to roll down into my hand.  As the spider gained warmth from my hand, its movements became more coordinated.  It wasn’t long before it wouldn’t hold still for more photos.  I released it into a cavity beneath a large rock that set half in and half out of the water.  I figured the spider could choose whether or not to return to a submerged resting spot.

Talking about spider size can sometimes be confusing.  This is considered to be a large spider for this area.  If I described it by using the common measure of body length, I would say that it was just a little over half an inch in size.  That might seem small to many people.  If I used the length from the tip of one leg, on through the body and out to the tip of the opposite leg, this spider would be described as 3½ inches across.  Some might use those dimensions to describe it as palm sized.  Either way, it makes it sound like one big spider, but most of that size is just open space between the legs.

This is an attractive species.  The two dark markings near the center of the carapace and the rows of white spots along the abdomen are diagnostic.  Notice that this individual is missing one of its hind legs. 

Good eyesight is a must for these hunting spiders.  A row of four small eyes sits below a row of four larger, more widely spaced eyes.  This lady shouldn’t have any trouble keeping track of her prey.

From the front, the markings of the spider seem to form a face.  The abdomen is decorated with two dark spots with white edging that look like eyes.  The twin dark markings on the carapace suggest a nose and the curved rows of eyes designate the mouth.  I don’t know that this configuration of characters actually serves any defensive functions, but it’s still interesting.  The shape and markings of the abdomen as seen from this angle remind me of the 1978 version IL series Cylon.  By your command.

Going to the Barn for a Pair of Pliers

I am sometimes easily distracted.  While working on a project in the garage, I had to stop to get a pair of pliers from the barn.  I got just one step out of the garage before I had to stop.

You can’t walk by a beautiful Black Rat Snake without pausing for a moment of admiration.  This is one of several snakes that periodically migrate between the house and barn, keeping both mouse free.

A yard stick was just inside the garage door, so placed it beside the snake.  Laid out straight, the snake would probably measure in at about four feet.

Beside the door was a lovely Crane Fly.  These big flies are quite common at Blue Jay Barrens and are one of my favorites.

Their large size makes it easy to see some of the characteristics unique to flies.  Unlike most other flying insects, flies have only one pair of wings instead of two.  Their hind wings have modified into knobbed stick-like structures called halteres which are used to balance the fly in flight.  You can see halteres on all flies, but on none as easily as the Crane Fly.

This colorful larva was hidden on the mortar between bricks on the house.  The yellow-green color almost glowed like that of a firefly.

A few steps later, a light colored moth shot from the grass and lit beneath a leaf beside the house.  I’ve been hoping to see an adult of the rare Unexpected Tiger Moth, so I tend to chase every whitish moth that goes by.  No luck here.  This is a common moth known as The Beggar.

Above the moth, an orb weaving spider has spun its web.  I believe this is called the Orchard Orbweaver.  It had the look of a small jewel.

The feeding station is in a direct line from house to barn, so the animals must move aside as I pass.  Most are so used to my comings and goings that they don’t move very far or fast at my approach.

A female Raccoon is nursing a litter, so she’s been visiting the feeder during the day to get enough food to sustain her through this difficult time.  I suppose it won’t be long before the little guys are out and about.

I cleared the house just in time to catch the Red-shouldered hawk dropping from the electric line.

It managed to land with a branch between us, so I’m not sure what it caught.  The prey must have been something small, because it went down in one gulp.

A bit closer to the barn I was attracted to a rustling in the tall grass around some old tractor parts.  A mother skunk had her young out of their den.  The little ones never stopped moving and never left contact with their mother.  I didn’t get an accurate count, but there are three baby faces and the mother’s tail in this shot.  At my approach they all retreated into an old Groundhog hole beneath the tractor motor.

I opened the barn door to find a young Cottontail.  This must have been the perfect spring for successful nestings.  I think I’ve seen babies of just about every mammal we have here.

Up in the barn loft was a young Blue Jay that couldn’t seem to find its way out.  I opened the big door at one end of the barn, but the bird wouldn’t fly down through the rafters to that exit.  Its calls kept getting more frantic and a parent bird outside the barn kept responding.  I finally climbed the ladder and opened the loft door so the youngster could escape.

As I was coming down the ladder, I came eye-to-eye with a female Fishing Spider.  I enjoy finding big spiders and this one is about as big and beautiful as they get around here.

There aren’t many animals with a coat as beautifully colored and marked as this girl. 

Atop one barn wall was a fresh shed from a Black Rat Snake.  This is a common find when the snakes are hunting in the barn.  If a week goes by without a new shed appearing, I figure the snakes are in the house.

On the way back to the house I found this walnut shell left by a squirrel.  It must have known how much I like faces.  Sometimes you don’t have to go far to have an exciting walk.  It wasn’t until I walked back into the garage that I noticed I had forgotten to get the pliers.