Carolina Wolf Spider with Eggs

The entrance to the Carolina Wolf Spider burrow is surrounded by a small forest of White Clover.  I periodically prune back the leaves directly over the burrow, but try to make a minimal impact so as not to discourage the spider from maintaining its residence in the burrow.

When I sneak in to have a look at the spider, I usually end up seeing nothing but an empty hole.  A glimpse of quick movement beneath the clover leaves is my most common confirmation that the spider is alive and well.

This morning, I got a glimpse of the spider far down in her burrow.  She is sitting at a point where the burrow makes a sharp turn to the left.  This turn makes it easy for the spider to retreat completely out of sight.  I have been eagerly awaiting some sign that she has produced a clutch of eggs.  According to everything I have read about this species, eggs should appear this spring.

During my evening visit to the spider, I noticed this white object at the mouth of the burrow.

In typical wolf spider fashion, the spider has enclosed its clutch of eggs in a silk envelope which is now attached to her abdomen.  Where she goes, so go the eggs.

The eggs should hatch sometime next month.  Following a time enjoying the care and protection of their mother, the young spiders should leave the burrow and begin life on their own.  This is the event I’m hoping to witness.  It is unlikely that the young spiders will stream from the burrow in a single mass.  I expect there to be a period of time where young spiders will be seen exploring around the burrow entrance or moving around the general vicinity of the burrow.  It’s also possible that the young will make short excursions from the burrow and then retreat back inside upon sensing danger.  I’ll keep making a daily check.  If I’m lucky, I should see the family leaving home and striking out on their own.  To read earlier posts about this particular spider, click HERE.

Spider Burrow Closed for the Winter

For the past two months, I’ve been keeping a watch on the Carolina Wolf Spider found living in a burrow in one of my vegetable garden beds.  This is how she looked two weeks ago, sitting at the entrance to her burrow.  The pose is her normal position when venturing out during the day, her legs resting on the lip of the burrow entrance.  From the side it’s easy to see the eye that sits far back on the side of the head.  At the first sign of approaching danger, she drops quickly into the burrow.

The spider’s burrow is located at the edge of a garden bed that is currently growing a large stand of Butterfly Weed.  The burrow is in the green patch of clover in front of the dried flower stalks.

A couple of days ago, I glanced over to check on the spider and noticed something odd about the burrow.

The entrance has been blocked by soil.  The seal was constructed by material brought up from inside the burrow. 

Carolina Wolf Spiders hatch during the summer and reach about half of their adult size before winter sets in.  They overwinter and complete their growth the following summer.  Mating occurs in the fall.  Mature males will die soon after mating, but females will overwinter and produce eggs the following spring.  This spider has sealed herself into the burrow and is settling down to ride out the winter.  Hopefully, the spider will reopen her burrow in the spring and the hole will be home to a large batch of spiderlings next summer.

Carolina Wolf Spider

Regularly reading blogs that discuss plants and animals in your area is a great way to learn of things you should keep a watchful eye out for.  Without Jim McCormac’s post about the discovery of the Carolina Wolf Spider in Adams County, I would never have recognized this face when I saw it.

Back in April, I mentioned this spider hole dug into one of my vegetable garden beds.  It’s located in a portion of growing bed that has been given over to an ever expanding clump of Butterfly Weed.  The hole has continued to grow in size through the summer and is now larger in diameter than a quarter.  The diameter of the quarter is 24 mm, so this is quite an impressive hole.

I occasionally give the hole a look when I work in the garden, but it has always appeared lifeless. 

Yesterday evening, I found this blocking the entrance.  A Carolina Wolf Spider.  From the size, I think this is probably a female.  This is a large spider that digs and lives in a large burrow. 

These spiders primarily hunt by waiting at the entrance to their burrow and grabbing passing insects.  I tried to coax the spider out of its burrow by using the end of a grass stalk to simulate an insect.  The spider was uninterested and refused to move into the open.

I don’t have any of the sophisticated equipment mentioned in Jim’s post, so I have to use more mundane methods of enticing finicky creatures into the open.  My first complete sentence is reported to have been “Let’s go fishing” and through the years I’ve fished for some unusual quarry.  I see no reason not to fish for spiders.  Using a Tenebrio beetle larva, aka mealworm, I prepared my tackle for deep soil spider fishing.

I first tried the mealworm on the edge of the burrow.  I suppose I had already annoyed the spider too much with the grass stalk.  It wouldn’t rise to the bait.

I sent the bait on down the hole.  You can see the furry bulk of the spider hiding in the shadows.

The strike was sudden.  I quickly took up the slack to keep the spider from backing down the burrow.

The spider was a strong opponent, but I worked her up to the top of the burrow.

With only her hind legs keeping contact with the burrow wall, she held firm and refused to advance any farther.  Her fangs are firmly imbedded in the mealworm.

In a flash, she’s gone with my bait.  If I feed her often enough, she might overcome her shyness and allow for a better viewing.  Most of the descriptions for this species refer to features found on the underside of the body.  I guess I'll also have to teach her to roll over.  For more information on this fascinating species, check out Jim’s blog.