Golden Orb (Banana Spider) Graces Breaking Ground Green Roof
Golden Silk Orb Weaver (Nephila clavipes) spider on BGGR
The Breaking Ground green roof has so much life and activity, it’s hard to document it all! Our newest find is this beautiful Golden Silk Orb Weaver, Nephila clavipes, sometimes called a Banana Spider. This spider is quite a sight when you first lay eyes on her, but there is no real danger from her unless you try to hold or pinch her! Even then, her bite is about as painful as a gee sting and goes away quickly.
She is a large, colorful arachnid who weaves an extremely large web an can look scary due to her size. Remember, however, that spiders are great for helping us with pest control in our gardens! You can spot these big web weavers all around the Americas, especially in late summer or early fall….which is exactly when we spotted her! To learn more about this cool critter, go the the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences page.