Quick and cryptic, the bodies of the spiderlings are roughly the diameter of a pencil eraser. Click image to enlarge.
These nocturnal hunting spiders are often encountered under wood, stones, and in other protected areas. They feed on a variety of different arthropods.
Spiderlings, like the one above, hatch throughout the spring and summer and attain roughly half their full size by late fall. They overwinter in protected sites, emerging as voracious juveniles who will molt into adults and then mate during the following summer and fall.
Males die shortly after mating. Fertilized females overwinter in protected locations, and produce egg sacs the following spring.
Females, often found carrying their spiderlings on their abdomen during the summer and early fall, may live for several years after reaching maturity.
One of my students brought in a fertilized female found in their house last December, who produced a nonviable egg sac in January.
I have a significant area of the backyard that is mulched. It is speckled with webs everywhere. Could this be the culprit?
These spiders chase down their prey, so those webbing your garden belong to a different species. We have a lot of spider activity in our mulched areas right now. I’ll try to photograph a few of them webbing later this week.
Thanks for reading, Wendy!