Community identification
Orchard Spider
Leucauge venusta
- Order & Family
- Araneae, Tetragnathidae
- Size
- Females are 5-8 mm (body length); males are smaller at 3-4 mm.
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.