I think it is safe to say, we went talk about our backyard wildlife neighbors butterflies, moths, bees, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians come to mind.  One reason for this is these are the wildlife we most commonly see.  However, in truth, they are but a small portion of the animals that inhabit our yards.  Once we begin noticing our “other” backyard neighbors, it quickly becomes clear that they are fascinating creatures and play a key role in the health of backyard environment.  One group of these critters is the funnel weaver spiders.

       One of the ways in which you can often tell a funnel weaver spider is close by is to take a look at their webs.  The webs of many of these spiders are horizontal instead of vertical.  Some of these spiders also place their webs above ground in shrubs and elsewhere.

       Regardless of where you find them, they all feature a funnel along the edge of the web.  These webs are often fairly large.  If you closely examine the web of a funnel weaver spider, you are likely to see a spider lurking at the entrance of its funnel (sometimes call a retreat). When an insect lands on its web, the spider darts out and capture it.

       My wife found the web of a funnel weaver spider in a camellia bush outside our garage.  The funnel was directly below an outside light.  If I was a funnel weaver spider, I would weaver my web there too.  I am sure insects drawn the light routinely fall or land in the web and thus provide this predator was a great source of food.

       If you look around your yard, I am sure you will find one or more funnel weaver spiders in your yard too.