Wild Guide: Grass Spiders

Grass Spiders

The unique web of grass spiders is more often noticed than the spider itself. The web is sheetlike, usually positioned horizontally, with a funnel leading downward to a shelter — a rock crevice or dense vegetation. Though it is often smaller, the sheet may be up to 3 feet wide and the funnel portion over a foot long. The web of grass spiders is not sticky, and it can be amusing to tap gently with a twig on the surface of the web, prompting the spider to rush out of her tunnel. She quickly realizes she’s been duped and dashes back into hiding.

Did You Know?

Grass spiders prey on numerous insects that are pests to humans, controlling populations of the species they consume.