In Touch With Nature – Golden Orb Spiders #spiders #southafrica #wildlife
Posted: August 27, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized 51 Comments
Spiders get a lot of negative press everywhere. Recently, there have been a number of poems about spiders on WordPress and all of them paint spiders as scary creatures which do much harm to humans. I decided to write this post as a tribute to spiders which actually do a lot of good in this world. There are some venomous spiders, but these are in the minority. Thousands of spiders die at the hand of humans due to ignorance and unfounded fear.
The spider I am focusing on for this post is the South African Golden Orb Spider. From March to May, the Golden Orb Spider is an outstanding feature of the NorthWest province in South Africa. Hundreds of these large spiders can be seen everywhere, spinning and guarding their webs, and doing what spiders do which is catching and consuming prey, usually insects, and reproducing.
The female of this species is 1,000 times bigger than the male. The female spins the web and allows several males to cohabitat on the web. The males are usually found at the top of the web while the female sits at the hub, facing downwards, and waiting for insects to become trapped in the web. She then wraps the insect in web to immobilise it, kills it with one bite, and moves it to the centre of the web for immediate consumption or to store in her ‘larder’. I know you are thinking this is cruel but think about the contents of your own freezer. I often think that if the Martians from War of the Worlds arrived on Earth now, they would have had no conscience about eating people after peeping into the average freezer which is stuffed full of meat.
These are some great facts about Golden Orb Spiders:
- they are active during the day and largely sedentary due to being web bound;
- they rarely dismantle their webs and their webs can last for years;
- their venom is harmless to humans;
- Golden Orb Spiders spin the largest and strongest web of all spiders. It’s name is derived from the golden colour of its silk;
- the web is strong enough to trap a small bird. The spider cannot eat a bird and such entrapment damages the web. The spider tries to warn birds of the presence of the web by leaving a visible line of insect husks on the web.
- the small males steal food from the female without her noticing;
- the males mate with the female without her noticing. Usually when she is distracted by eating;
- the eggs are buried in the ground;
- the spiderlings are not fully developed when they hatch but once they have developed, they move away from their siblings to avoid cannibalism;
- there are 11 African species in the genus; and
- the web is used by humans to make fishing lures, traps, nets, bird snares, and as a bandage to stop bleeding.
The web of this spider is beautiful. Its yellow threads shine like gold in the sunlight to attract insects, especially bees, and blends with the background foliage in shady spots, thereby camouflaging the web. The spider is able to adjust the pigment intensity to match with background light levels and colour. This spider is a real artist.
These are two of my YouTube videos of Golden Orb Spiders:
Poem about Spiders from Lion Scream
The Spider Ball
Behind a rotting board
A misshapen ball
Pulsating with life; dark silhouettes wriggling
Protected by soft web
The mother’s life work
***
In the dimness they grow
Increasing in strength
Those with greater confidence start to explore
Running along the threads
Pushing boundaries
***
Ready for life alone
They prepare to leave
Climbing up high they release several strands
And float gently away
Life’s an adventure
Purchase Lion Scream here: https://www.amazon.com/Lion-Scream-Syllabic-Southern-Wildlife-ebook/dp/B0BXP5N766
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of seventeen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of four poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Find Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Blog: https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/robbiecheadle.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Roberta-Eaton-Cheadle/e/B08RSNJQZ5
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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
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Fantastic article on spiders with great supporting photos. Loved the poem too even though, I have to confess, I’m not a great reader of poetry.
Martin Tayler
Martin’s bird and nature blog: http://martinsbirdblog.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Martin, I am delighted you enjoyed this post. Spiders will put some readers off, but they deserve some time in the light.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Robbie what a wonderful post.
Thank you for sharing.
I agree, spiders do get a bad rep 🙄
I so enjoyed reading all the facts about the
Golden Orb Spider.
So inreresting. 🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Maggie, it pleases me no end that you enjoyed this post. Thanks for letting me know.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Robbie, my pleasure.
Aww I loved it 💛
You know how much I love seeing things about my birth country.
The Golden Orb Spider is so interesting .
If only people would take the time to research things like you, instead of placing labels.
Thank you again for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think a fear of spiders is passed down from one generation to another. My mother has a horror of spiders and lizards. I am always having to catch one or the other and put them outside.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes, you msy be right Robbie.
We don’t get many spiders or creepy things here.
I personally am terrified of wasps 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I stay away from wasps as I’m highly allergic. I don’t kill them though. I let the fig tree blossoms do that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh really you need to be careful then.
In Greece they have these big black things that buzz, I was sure it was a wasp wearing Doc Martens 🤣 scared me to death!
No one could tell me what they were🙄
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That is a funny description, Maggie. I steer clear of wasps and bees as both are harmful to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
In reply to Ephemeral Encounters, the large black bee could have been a carpenter bee.
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Thank you so much for clarifying.
Truly not a thing I want to mess with 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your The Spider Ball poem. From the first words, “Behind a rotting board” to the “Life’s an adventure,” the reader can actually visualize the web, its brief history, and the efforts the spider put into its life task. I thought the pictures were especially informative and educational!
The poem bears repeating! Nice work.
The Spider Ball
Behind a rotting board
A misshapen ball
Pulsating with life; dark silhouettes wriggling
Protected by soft web
The mother’s life work
***
In the dimness they grow
Increasing in strength
Those with greater confidence start to explore
Running along the threads
Pushing boundaries
***
Ready for life alone
They prepare to leave
Climbing up high they release several strands
And float gently away
Life’s an adventure
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I am really pleased that you enjoyed this post and poem. Spiders are an important part of the ecology.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fun Facts, Robbie.. they do get bad press but they are so essential! 🙌🏽
LikeLiked by 1 person
HI Cindy, I suppose its how they look. Unfortunate looks or smells (I’m thinking hyena here) tend to make creatures unpopular.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think you’re right about that~!!💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not keen on spiders, but I find these fascinating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Esther. I find spiders interesting too. I always think of Miss Spider from Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach and her story about how the aunts were always trying to kill her family.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fascinating and educational post, Robbie!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Dave. I try to achieve just that so I’m glad you found the spiders interesting. I always feel sorry for spiders, hyenas, and rats. They really get a bad deal when it comes to perception.
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LikeLiked by 1 person
This is excellent information about spiders, Robbie. I’m not a spider fan, but I know they are beneficial insects. 🕷️
LikeLiked by 2 people
I don’t like them as bed mates but I find them very interesting. In fact, I have a real fascination with spiders. TC the spider killer gets annoyed because I conceal their nests. Then they hatch and we have hundreds of spiderlings. He knew I loved creatures before we got married so …
LikeLiked by 3 people
😂 I’ve been known to move them outside! If they are huge… NO WAY!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Funny, we have big spiders here but they are not harmful. Its the small ones that are harmful.
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YIKES!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🕷️🕸️
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s hard to imagine a spider web strong enough to capture a small bird!
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Hi LIz, I thought you’d skip this post. The webs are very big and very strong.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I almost did. But then I told myself you were advocating for fellow inhabitants of the earth, and I should support you in that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never minded spiders. Apparently it’s Not kind to put them outside instead of killing them when we find them indoors and someone in the house is getting hysterical. If they are indoors it’s because they like the environment and Don’t want to be outside!
Golden Orb is fascinating in every way including it’s strange love life.
LikeLiked by 1 person
HI Janet, that is a reasonable comment but killing them is a lot more final than putting them outside in their natural environment. Spiders have very intriguing love lives. They eat their mates generally. Sometimes, that sounds like a good idea – haha!
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Apparently, those who portray spiders negatively in their poetry haven’t read Charlotte’s Web. Thank you for sharing all this.
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Hi Abbie, its nice to see you. I agree and I also enjoyed Charlotte’s Web.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for another enlightening post Robbie. I’ve only written positive poetry about spiders–Spiderwoman is the creator, and protector of life. And a fiber artist! People should be much more afraid of other humans than spiders. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
HI Kerfe, I am glad you are positive about spiders. They get a raw deal in my opinion. I’ll take spiders over mosquitos any day.
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I love the poem Robbie ❤️
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I’m glad to know that, Michelle.
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I agree it’s a pity so many people fear spiders. They are fascinating creatures, and are extremely useful, eating many pests, including disease-carrying ones.
It’s good to see a positive poem about them, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think spiders are amazing. We do have a couple of dangerous varieties here, and they’re still amazing. You just learn which ones they are and avoid them.
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The spider is very pretty. It’s interesting how the males are so tiny. I cannot fear or hate spiders after reading Charlotte’s Web. I enjoyed this post, Robbie.
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Hi Jennie, thank you. Charlotte’s Web is an inspiration. I also love that story.
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I’m so glad!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fascinating post on spiders, Robbie. I love to watch them when they are outdoors, and webs sparkling in sunlight are so beautiful. I’m not a fan of them in the house though. And especially not in my bed!
(There’s no meat in my freezer. Though I will cook it for some family members on holidays. 😊)
LikeLiked by 1 person
HI Merril, I don’t eat much meat either. I cook mainly for my family who are big meat eaters. Most South Africans are. I also don’t like spiders in my bed. We do get them in the house and I put them outside, but I don’t kill them. I think they are rather amazing.
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Hi Robbie, they are amazing. 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Robbie. A wonderful telling and great closeup pics of the Golden Orb Spider. 🥰
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Thank you, Debby. The spiders were very close 😉. TC ran for the hills – he hates spiders.
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I may have ran with him. 🤣😍
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🤣😂
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