I found these huge spiders at the edge of the west branch of the DuPage River at Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve. They had long "lifeline" threads strung about in low foliage all allong the edge of the water. They were using these webs as quick avenues between plants, and they moved easily great distances, seemingly through thin air. I supposed them hunting, although I saw them catch nothing. They were simply moving around and striking "the pose" peculiar to Tetragnathid spiders (fig. 1). I saw no evidence of orb-webs.

Tetragnathid spiders are fairly easy to identify by their huge, powerful jaws, or chelicerae, and long, slender abdomen. Like the other family of orb weavers, the Araneidae, these spiders have eight eyes and 3 claws on each tarsus. There are about 25 species in North America. The Venusta Orchard spider, a very common woodland arachnid, is a member of this family.

Habitat: Meadows and marshes, woodland edges. Food: insects. Most members of this family do not build vertical webs, they are usually tilted and sometimes close to horizontal. In some species, only the spiderlings produce webs. The orchard spiders build their webs in shrubs or trees.