Orchard Spider

Scientific Name: Leucauge venusta

Order & Family: Araneae, Tetragnathidae

Size: Females are 5-8 mm (body length); males are smaller at 3-4 mm.

Orchard Spider

Natural Habitat

Common in woodlands, gardens, and shrubbery across North and Central America.

Diet & Feeding

Insectivorous; they consume small flying insects like flies, mosquitoes, and wasps caught in their webs.

Behavior Patterns

They construct horizontal or tilted orb webs, often low to the ground. The spider typically hangs upside down in the center of the web.

Risks & Benefits

Benefits include natural pest control. They are harmless to humans and rarely bite unless severely provoked, with venom that is not medically significant.

Identified on: 6/17/2026