Red Shamrock I think
Location: Northern Illinois, USA
November 8, 2010 6:35 pm
I think he lives under my garbage can handle. He always spins a big round web to the ground when i put the can at the curb. We found him on the driveway after washing out the cans one day.
Signature: Simon
Hi Simon,
We concur that this is a Shamrock Orbweaver, Araneus trifolium. Though it is a highly variable species, as evidenced by the images on BugGuide, this dark red form is relatively common. Daniel remembers great numbers of the Shamrock Orbweavers, in every color from pale cream through dark brown, spinning their webs in the autumn meadows full of goldenrod and milkweed near Youngstown Ohio where he grew up.