Bridge Spider and Eggs
I caught this spider on a window at work during the last week of July, and brought her home to keep as a pet for a bit. And I am positive that this is a “she”, because on August 4, 2012 she laid an egg sac.
It turns out she’s another specimen of a species that I’ve posted before. She’s a Bridge Spider, Larinioides sclopetarius. The previous spider was caught in the same place, and these are the most common large spiders that accumulate on that window. This is no surprise, because these spiders are well-known for building their webs on man-made structures near water (commonly bridges) so that they can catch things like midges and mayflies that hatch out of the water. And the building I work in is right next to Portage Lake, so it is close enough to being a bridge to suit them.
She’s still pretty plump even after laying eggs, and she didn’t act like she was going to die anytime soon. And considering that I caught the previous one in November, it is quite possible she was going to lay more eggs in the course of the summer.
The eggs hatched out pretty promptly on August 18, two weeks after they were laid.
The little spiderlings were not colored much of anything like their mother, with a yellow abdomen instead of gray with dark splotches.
The hatchlings also had nearly-red eyes.
So, once they had all hatched out, we let them go. They may very well be out there spinning webs and murdering insects even now.
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Or, becoming dinner for some lucky bird