Hanging under eaves, tucked in the cracks on tree bark, hidden in tall grass, spiders and webs can be found nearly everywhere you look in late summer. Not all spiders spin webs, however. Some actively hunt for prey, scurrying over dirt in the garden or ambushing pollinators visiting flowers. Whether wanderers or web weavers, spiders abound in nearly every habitat on Earth, with estimates of one million individuals living in each acre of grassy field. There are about 2,500 spider species in North America, all different and each well adapted to its role as a small but effective predator.
Spiders are arthropods, which means that they have jointed legs and hard exoskeletons, as insects do. Continue reading Spiders: Web-Builders and Wanderers – Background