Western Spotted Orb Weaver, female

Description:

The spotted western orb weaver (Neoscona oaxacensis) lives in the southwestern United States. As its name suggests, it spins webs and has spots, although you have to get pretty close to see them in some cases. Although many spiders display gross sexual dimorphism -- that is, females look a lot different than males -- the main difference between male and female spotted western orb weavers is a slight matter of size and coloring. Females are 11 to 17 millimeters, about double the size of males. Both share color palettes -- brown, yellow, white, purple and red -- but females are brighter and have stronger contrasts.

Notes:

The spiders were really abundant on Antelope Island today . Every sage brush had at least two or three webs. amazing spider day