Walnut Orbweaver

Fascinating facts about the Walnut Orbweaver

• The walnut orb-weaver's abdomen is unusually flat because tiny dents on its surface are the beginnings of muscles that press the abdomen flat. This flattening lets the spider slip into narrow wall cracks and under loose bark where it spends daylight hours. By being able to hide in such confined places it can choose many more sites for building its orb-web, giving it a clear defensive edge.
• When evening falls the spider spins a large orb-web that can reach up to 70 cm across and attaches a thin signalling thread that runs back to its hidden retreat. After dusk it settles in the centre of the web, remaining concealed while the thread connects it to its shelter.
• Female walnut orb-weavers can grow to a maximum length of 15 mm, whereas males remain considerably smaller, reaching only up to 8 mm. Females are present year-round, while males appear mainly during the summer.
• The walnut orb-weaver's abdomen displays dark yellowish-green leaf-shaped markings and its overall colour varies from reddish-brown to black. These features aid its camouflage while it hides in wall cracks or under loose bark during daylight.
• The specific epithet umbratica translates from Latin as "living in the shadows", a direct reference to the spider's secretive daytime behaviour. It spends daylight hours tucked away in wall crevices or beneath loose bark, locations that keep it out of sight. The species is widespread across Central Europe, where females can be found year-round and males appear mainly in summer.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Walnut Orbweaver

In the warm, golden light of autumn afternoons, the Walnut Orbweaver emerges, its delicate, lace-like web a masterpiece of intricate design, carefully crafted to ensnare unsuspecting prey. With a gentle, almost ethereal elegance, this spider moves through the world, its slender legs barely touching the intricate network of threads that crisscross its domain. As the sun dips below the horizon, the Walnut Orbweaver's web is set ablaze with a thousand tiny, dew-kissed diamonds, a breathtaking spectacle that showcases the spider's remarkable ingenuity and artistry.

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