Search Results for: joro

September 20

More About Joro Spiders and Spider Labs

Joro spiders, an invasive species from Eastern Asia, made their appearance in Georgia in 2014.  Adult females lay egg sacs containing hundreds of eggs between September and November and then die with the onset of freezing temperatures. Although the spiderlings hatch in the spring, they reach their mature size (three to four inches) by fall.

Their multi-dimensional webs weave the branches of the woodlands together.


One or more male Joro spiders may join the larger, more colorful female in her web.



Eating lunch:

Related Posts:

More about Joro Spiders

A Previous Post about Spiders  (Includes art projects and videos.)

Go here to view full screen.

Watch this humorous book full screen here. It’s a great mentor text to introduce journal writing.

I made these cards for my K and PreK scientists to sequence the Itsy-Bitsy Spider song. Such a soft introduction to the water cycle.

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again

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November 17

Where are the Joro Spiders?

If you live in Georgia, you are familiar with the invasion of the Joro spider. This arachnid was first spotted in the state in 2014 and scientists speculate that the spider arrived in packing crates from China. Since then, their numbers have exploded! This colorful spider can grow to three inches (males are smaller), but it’s the massive orb web that faces multiple directions that has residents panicked.

So where are the spiders now? The adult spiders die in November after the female lays her eggs in late fall. The egg sacs can contain at least 400 spiderlings and they will float on the wind, sometimes long distances, when they hatch next spring. The spiders reach full maturity in the fall which is when they are most noticed by homeowners and hikers. Scientists are investigating their impact on the ecosystem. Click here to learn more.

If you’ve read Charlotte’s Web, you may remember her spiderlings “floated” away at the end of the story.

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August 30

They’re Everywhere!

I’ve posted about joro spiders before. Click here to go to that post. These arachnids are spreading all over Georgia and other neighboring states. I began seeing small spiders in early summer, but they are quickly growing to their three-inch size. Joro spiders, an invasive species originating from tropical parts of Asia, are “cousins” of the golden silk spider (banana spider) which is common in the southeastern United States.

Joro spiders are easy to identify. Their long legs and abdomens have yellow and black stripes, and a red mark is located on the underside of the female’s abdomen.

These spiders weave giant golden 3-D orb webs that can span 10 feet. The precision and design of an orb web is one of the most beautiful sights in nature!

Grateful that their bite cannot harm people or pets. After females lay their egg sacs in late summer, they will die at the first frost. Four to five hundred spiderlings will hatch next spring. Joro spiders travel via ballooning, meaning they use their silk to ride air currents. Could this explain how the Joro spider population has spread so quickly?

I’m starting to spot male spiders, smaller and less colorful than the females, in the webs.

Just added this book to my library.

Joro Spiders Don't Scare Me (Hardcover)

The construction of orb webs fascinates me, and I’ve posted about them several times. Click here to see orb webs one foggy morning and click here to see a web in a window. You can spray orb webs with a fine mist to see the details of the webs. Gently throw a leaf into the web and watch how the spider interacts with it.

The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle is a fun story to dramatize with your young scientists. Give the actor who is the spider a ball of yarn to weave among items in your classroom or purchase a large orb web to use as the background. (Click here for an example.)

Click here to view full screen.

Students can make orb webs in a variety of ways. Create an orb web on waxed paper with glue. Let it dry and then peel it off. My students have also created webs with glue and while the glue was wet, they sprinkled glitter over them. (They look like webs glistening with water droplets.) We added a spider after the glue dried. Drawing webs is always an engaging task! Click here.

I’ve used the study of spiders to teach students to differentiate between facts and opinions in reading. Lots of people have opinions about spiders! Ideas from former students:

Facts:
Spiders are invertebrates. Most spiders spin webs. Spiders have eight legs and two body parts. Most spiders have eight eyes. There are different kinds of webs.

Opinions:
Everyone should study spiders. Spiders are the coolest! Spiders are scary. Spiders are fun to study. Orb webs are the best kind of webs.

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