The Garden Guardian

For anyone that enjoys gardening, you should be very happy to find the silver garden spider standing watch over your plants!!

They are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem and prey upon many insect species that are considered garden pests.

This spider’s shiny body reflects UV light, mimicking the tactic flowers use to attract pollinators. Insects approach the spider, thinking it is a flower with nutritious nectar, only to find themselves entangled in the web.

Pound for pound, spider silk is 5X stronger than steel and is currently being studied for its uses in improving building materials and bullet proof vests.

Many animals may seem scary at first glance, but by learning more about them we can appreciate how fascinating and unique every species is—each one has an important role to play in our diverse world!

#spidersofinstagram #spiderweb #arachnid #macrophotography #macro #scicomm #biomimicry #gardening #horticulture