Fall is
spider season, when many species are at their largest for courting, mating and producing egg sacs. Especially
noticeable are the various orb weavers,
whose round sticky silk webs for snaring insect prey seem to be
everywhere these days.
The voracious spider appetites help keep insect numbers under control. And since spiders also kill other spiders, including members of the same species, they keep their own numbers in check too. Throughout the year, they also keep contributing to the eco-community as food for neighboring larger invertebrates, birds, and small animals. They're particularly abundant now in meadows and other grassy areas, where up to hundreds of thousands might occupy a single acre.
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