Q: My daughter and I found this guy in our yard. We’ve never seen a spider quite like him. He was pretty evil looking!

A: Evil is in the eye of the beholder! To her boyfriends, this marbled orb weaver spider is a very beautiful creature. Her scientific name is Araneus marmoreus. I know she is a “she” due to her large abdomen with the colorful markings. Male marbled spiders have a much smaller abdomen.

Her web is the classic orb shape, very efficient at catching garden pests like flies and mosquitoes. If you are lucky, you’ll see some of her offspring next year!

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