Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is the funnel-web spider pictured in photo #2.
The funnel-web or grass spider, of which there are at least five species in the Agelenopsis genus, is a common and generally harmless resident of lawns and gardens. These fast-moving, shy spiders have brownish or gray bodies and are easily recognized by their long, prominent spinnerets extending from the rear.
Grass spiders are best known for their distinctive webs—broad, sheet-like layers of silk with a funnel-shaped retreat tucked along one edge. Often seen stretched across grass, shrubs, or even windowsills, these webs can appear like a silvery blanket in the morning, especially when outlined with dew. Unlike many spider webs, they are not sticky. Instead, a network of fine threads above the sheet disrupts flying insects, causing them to fall onto the surface where the spider quickly rushes out from its funnel to capture them.
Though frequently mistaken for wolf spiders or other species, their long spinnerets and funnel-shaped webs are clear identifying features. With at least five known species in this group, funnel-web spiders play an important role in controlling insect populations, all while keeping a low profile in the landscapes we share.
