Common Garden Spiders in Texas

Texas has over 900 different species of spiders, many of which are common in home gardens. Most of these spider's bites are not poisonous or harmful to humans and some will build beautiful webs amid garden foliage, feasting on a variety of insects. If a certain bug is becoming a particular nuisance, spiders can even be released in the garden to deal with the problem naturally.

  1. Wolf Spiders

    • Wolf spiders are a common garden spider in Texas. They do not build large webs to catch their prey but rather hunt by ambushing their prey and running them down along the ground. Their prey consists of smaller insects they can hold and crush in their jaws. Wolf spiders are known to patrol the soil in gardens, lurking in the shadows under piles of leaves, in small natural caves created by rocks and piles of sticks. They are quite hairy, with their colors being a deep brown and black, and they usually have vertical white stripes on their backs. They move incredibly fast, running their prey down on the open ground. Female wolf spiders also carry their eggs with them below their bellies until they hatch.

    Orb Weavers

    • Orb weaving spiders create classic orb-shaped webs of silk between plants or trees and are commonly seen in Texas gardens. This silk is woven to catch insects that fly through, allowing the spiders to feed on them when they become trapped. Orb weavers come in many different colors, shapes and sizes, and can grow to be more than an inch long. They can have unique designs for camouflage or bands of different colors, such as yellow, red, orange, black and white on their torsos and legs. While large, these spiders are harmless but can be annoying when they build large webs in the paths of humans.

    Jumping Spiders

    • Another spider that can be found commonly hunting in Texas gardens is the jumping spider. Like wolf spiders, jumping spiders do not build webs to catch their prey. Rather they lie in wait and with their excellent eyesight they spring out and attack nearby prey. They produce a silken drag line that allows them to jump off of leaves or blades of grass to catch prey in mid-air and pull themselves back up. This jumping ability also allows these spiders to move away from danger more rapidly.