Instructions
Look for white-backed garden spiders. They live in the lower areas of vegetation. They stay visible. Females can grow as large as 25 millimeters and males remain smaller. They have white stripes across their back, with black markings and yellow shades. Their legs are black with yellowish markings, but the head is all white.
Search for male black widows and baby black widows. Female black widows are not black and white. They are mostly black with a red spot, but males will be mostly black with white stripes along their sides. The baby black widow will not be black at all. It will appear white or light orange, and sometimes its belly will be gray. As they grow into adulthood, they become black. They can be found throughout the United States and in southwestern parts of Canada.
Enter the woodland areas. You will find spiny bellied orb weavers. They live on branches and leaves close to their webs. The females will have a spiny belly shell that is white, while the remaining areas of the body are black. The species grows to 10 millimeters long and can be found in the northern regions of the United States.
Look for smooth flower spiders. They live among white and yellow flowers and will turn either white or yellow, depending on the color of the flower they are on. They grow as large as 9 millimeters and are mostly seen during the autumn. Their heads are a light shade of black. Another spider similar to the flower spider is the crab spider. Crab spiders change in color, depending on where they go. For example, if they are on the ground or in the trees, they can turn to brown or black. They turn white if they are on flowers, but are different from flower spiders because they tend to have crab-like legs.
Watch out for white-spotted jumping spiders. These can be found on wooden fences and on house walls in tropical regions. They are black with white spots on their abdomen. Sometimes they will appear a reddish-brown color with white spots. They tend to move side to side like a crab and jump on their prey.
Search for white micrathenas in wooded areas. These spiders are white with black markings and sometimes have tiny red dots on the back of the abdomen, with black designs. Furrow spiders are similar, with a plump abdomen that is colored white with black markings. Legs are brownish and the head is black with little white powder marks.
How to Identify Black & White Spiders
Spiders come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Some have distinct shapes, such as the spiny bellied orb weaver, with its shell-like body. Other spiders are large and scary, such as the tarantula. Colors on spiders will vary, depending on their age and where they live. There are a number of spiders that are black with white spots or stripes, but there are few white spiders with black markings.