My Spider Hunt Adventure Begins
Woke up dead set on finding cool spiders around St. Louis. Grabbed my camera, notebook, and some snacks. First stop? Forest Park near the history museum. Walked slow by the trees, checking tree bark cracks and bushes. Spotted like five orb weavers within twenty minutes! Big fat ones too, weaving crazy webs between branches. Got real close to snap pics – they didn’t even move.
Heard about railroad spots holding good finds so hit The Grove neighborhood next. Concrete walls along those old tracks? Goldmine! Saw jumping spiders doing backflips on bricks – little dudes moving crazy fast. My notes got messy trying to sketch their fuzzy legs.
- Side benefit: Found abandoned buildings = spider condos with funnel webs everywhere
- Downside: Tripped over broken pavement twice hunting them
The Nighttime Game-Changer
Swung by Tower Grove Park after sunset with my headlamp. Light beams caught silk like Christmas decorations! Garden spiders glowed under flashlight near rose bushes. Best trick? Slowly lifted fallen logs – bam! Wolf spiders exploded everywhere. Dodged one sprinting at my shoes, counted eight others frozen in the light. Camera clicked nonstop.
Final surprise near the pond: water striders skating under moonlight. Thought they were spiders at first! Legs move identically. Got muddy knees confirming they weren’t arachnids.
Where To Actually Find Them
So where’s the jackpot? Simple breakdown for lazy hunters:
- Forest Park: Beginner heaven – webs everywhere in sunny clearings
- Railroad corridors: Ninja jumpers & abandoned building surprises
- Nighttime parks: Bring light! More active species come out to party
Important takeaway? Spiders don’t hide much – just pick green spots and actually slow down. Found my best specimen near a hotdog stand!
