Hobbies And Interests
Poisonous Spiders
One poisonous spider naturally found in New Jersey is the black widow, Latrodectus variolus. It is easy to identify, behaves nonaggressively and delivers a poisonous bite that is occasionally life-threatening to young children and the elderly. Only the female is poisonous, and this spider is easily identified by a small, shiny, black body with a red hourglass marking on her back. On rare occasion a brown recluse spider has been transported into the area from other parts of the country. This spider carries a much more troublesome bite and is more difficult to identify.
Wolf Spiders
Wolf spiders or ground spiders are frequently found outdoors throughout the eastern United States, including New Jersey. They are part of the family Lycosidae and are called wolf spiders because they chase down their prey by use of their excellent eyesight and agile movements, instead of spinning a web. These spiders live outdoors in grassy or leafy areas, but may come indoors during colder weather. On rare occasion they can deliver a bite that is more troublesome than anything else. The giant wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis) and the rabid wolf spider (Rabidosa rabida) are commonly found through out the eastern United States, including New Jersey.
American House Spider
The common house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) is widely distributed all across the United States. This common arachnid is part of a family, popularly known as the cobweb spiders. These common predators often spin webs throughout unused portions of a house, often in close proximity to each other. The webs of the American house spider have been popularized by Halloween graphics, but the spiders or their webs are not dangerous to the human population, even though they resemble and are closely related to the black widow.
Orb Weavers
Orb weavers are outdoor spiders that weave their webs at night in order to capture night flying insects. They frequently build their nests near grassy areas including man-made gardens, which are quite frequent in the Garden State. The spiders are often brightly colored and are capable of weaving of weaving large complex webs that glisten in the morning dew. The spider waits near the center of the web for flying prey. The yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia, is a common garden spider found throughout the Atlantic Coast region.