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by Jacki
(Grand Forks, B.C. Canada)

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There are many different spiders in this family, and even an experienced biologist can have difficulty with this one. They have long slender legs with strong bristles.

Their webs are usually horizontal, sometimes dome shaped or tent like.

On occasion, some also build a second ‘sheet’ below this – some scientists believe it’s for protection from predators coming from below, others think it’s to catch any insect dropping from the dome above.

I’m very taken with the elegance and grace of these spiders and routinely go out of my way to prevent damaging their complicated and oh-so-fine silky webs.