Spiders are a fascinating and varied group of creatures. The orbweavers create the quintessential spider webs that are familiar to most people, especially when they are coated with dew on a cool morning, making them much more visible. Many spiders are so small that they are easily overlooked, even those in webs. Besides orb webs, there are spiders that live in a jumble of silk strands (the cobweb weavers), a tunnel connected to a large sheet (the funnel web weavers), or lined burrows on the ground. Some spiders do not use silk to secure prey but do make a retreat in which to live. Almost all spiders use their silk to protect their eggs, whether they deposit them in a web, under a rock, or carry them about on their abdomens. A good number of spiders do not make any sort of web retreat or snare. These include active hunters like some wolf spiders, lynx spiders, and jumping spiders, as well as ambush predators like crab spiders. It would be a daunting task to try to list, photograph, and identify all the spiders found in the Hartman Prehistoric Garden, but as many as possible are included here.
