Spiders in Northwest Wisconsin

It is rare to find very dangerous spiders, such as the northern widow or the brown recluse, living in northwest Wisconsin. More common are the so-called "ghost spiders" of northern Wisconsin, as well as orb weavers, jumping spiders and a host of other spiders found commonly around the United States.

  1. Ghost Spiders

    • Common in northern Wisconsin as well as other parts of the country, ghost spiders are members of the Anyphaenidae species. They have 16 eyes (two rows of eight) and are represented among 500 subspecies. Ghost spiders are also commonly found in cold regions like Canada and Alaska. They feed on insects and insect eggs, particularly those living in trees, which may attract them to the heavily forested and mostly rural region of northwest Wisconsin.

    Orb Weavers

    • Orb-weaving spiders produce the spiral webs commonly depicted in art or commonly associated with popular images of spiders. Most of these webs are built vertically, while a few are horizontal. Orb weavers belong to the family Araneidae, which are among the most common forms of spiders, representing a quarter of all spider diversity. Orb weavers have eight eyes and grow to different sizes depending on their subspecies.

    Jumping Spiders

    • Members of the family Salticidae, jumping spiders have enormous eyes which give them excellent color and depth perception -- which comes in handy when they do what they're most famous for: jump. These generally small and often colorful spiders comprise the largest family of spiders on earth, with more than 4,400 subspecies. Wisconsin and the northern Midwest are home to 315 species of jumping spiders.

    Lynx Spiders

    • Lynx spiders, belonging to the family Oxyopidae, come in widely varying sizes, ranging in length from 3 to 25 millimeters. They have eight eyes and some are very brightly colored. Lynx spiders are famous for the range of climates they can live in; while the bulk are found in tropical and subtropical climates, the lynx venture as far north as the upper reaches of Wisconsin and southern Canada. They predominantly live on grass, shrubs and trees and are fiercely protective of their egg sacs.