10 Spiders Found in Michigan (with Pictures)

It’s hard to believe that with over 3,000 spider species found in the United States, there is only a small handful with dangerous bites. In general, spiders are creatures that are shy and like to stay near areas where they feel protected. Spiders don’t usually attack people unless they feel threatened. Living in Michigan means that you’ve come across a few spiders in your life. They hide in dark corners of our homes and all around our outdoor properties. Unless you’re disturbing their webs or nests, you probably won’t get attacked. People have become increasingly curious about the types of spiders that hand around their Michigan homes, and we’re here to tell you some of the types that you’re most likely to spot while living in the Great Lakes state.

The 10 Spiders Found in Michigan

1. Banded Garden Spider

You’re most likely to spot this interesting-looking spider hanging out around your garden beds or around tall grasses or shrubs with dense vegetation. They are only about 2.5 centimeters long when fully extended, and the males are even smaller. The dorsal side of the Banded Garden spider is covered with silvery hairs. They also have black lines across their bodies with bright yellow and brown rings around their legs. These spiders catch their prey by spinning sticky webs and then paralyzing their prey with their fangs. Thankfully, these spiders aren’t poisonous at all to humans. They only live for about one year and are prey to birds, lizards, and larger spiders.

2. Cross Orb Weaver

The Cross Orb Weave spider is native to Europe and North America, so you’ll likely spot them in a few different places around Michigan. These creatures enjoy hanging around a range of habitats like meadows, woodlands, gardens, or even next to buildings with exterior lights that make it easier to catch flying insects like flies, moths, and mosquitos. They only live for about one year since most of the males are consumed by females after mating and the female spiders die after laying eggs. Adults have small bodies with long legs. They range in body color from light yellow to dark grey and always have mottled white patterns across their abdomen.

3. Northern Black Widow

Even though there is a northern and southern species of black widows, you’re more likely to find the Northern Black Widow in Michigan since they can tolerate extremely cold temperatures. This spider species is one of the most poisonous spiders in Michigan, with their venom being 15 times more potent than rattlesnake venom. Thankfully, these spiders are shy and prefer not to bite unless absolutely necessary. There is a mortality rate of lower than 1% by these spiders. Identify a Northern Black Widow by their red, hourglass-shaped marking on the dark bodies.

4. White Banded Crab Spider

The White Banded Crab spider is unique looking. They have a white band along their face and below their eyes that give them their names. The overall color is different among the sexes. Females could be light brown, white, or yellow with red, black, or brown abdominal markings. Makes are usually a shiny red, green, or yellow color with dark-colored front legs and green hind legs. Although they are venomous, these spiders don’t have mouthparts that are large enough to bite humans. They are usually found around flowers and preyed upon by birds, lizards, wasps, and ants. White Banded Crab spiders are okay to keep as pets as long as you don’t plan to hold them like you would other pets.

5. Brown Recluse

Even though there aren’t technically any laws about owning a Brown Recluse, these are not spiders that you want to risk a bite from. The Brown Recluse isn’t indigenous to Michigan, but there have been a few found over the year. Their name describes exactly what they look like. These spiders have light brown bodies and reach over an inch in size. They aren’t known for being aggressive towards humans since they spend their days hiding in places where they won’t be found, but that doesn’t mean you want to mess with them.

6. Striped Fishing Spider

You’ll find the Striped Fishing spider all over parts of the United States and Canada. This large spider species grow over five inches long and is pale brown with light stripes across its legs. The males are known for having a white band around the cephalothorax. Even though they have venom, it isn’t dangerous enough to harm humans. Despite their large size, they only snack on small insects but are hunted by wasps, birds, snakes and dragonflies.

7. Triangulate Cobweb

The Triangulate Cobweb spider is one that’s been all over the world. These small spiders are found in Europe, New Zealand, North America, and Southern Russia. You’ll usually find them around windows or dark and dingy corners of buildings or other man-made structures. They feed on small insects like ants, ticks, pill bugs, or other spiders. They get their name from the triangle pattern that covers their back and a round, bulbous abdomen. Their webs are messier than the traditional spider web you think about, resembling more of a cobweb with irregular patterns.

8. Parson Spider

The Parson Spider is another common Michigan spider that people find around their homes. During the day, the Parson hides in its silken web or under rocks and bark, and comes out to hunt insects at night. Parson spiders have brown or black bodies and gray abdomens with distinct pink and white markings. Females lay egg sacs with over 3,000 eggs inside. Spiderlings can even overwinter inside the sacs.

9. Tan Jumping Spider

One of the cutest and most fun spiders to keep as pets are Tan Jumping spiders. These are tiny arachnids with fuzzy brown, tan, and gray bodies. They also have white, black, and red flecks around their eyes. While their bodies are compressed vertically, they have a bigger sprawl horizontally. Jumping spiders are surprisingly friendly with low venom levels. They feed mainly on other small spiders and have to look out for birds, wasps, large mammals, and reptiles in the wild.

10. Zebra Spider

Another jumping spider that is found in the northern hemisphere is the Zebra spider. These species do not build webs like most spiders. Instead, they wait patiently for prey to pass and then jump on them to capture them. They have zebra-like black and white colors on their backs. The males perform a mating dance that involves them waving their front legs around to attract females. They are not harmful at all to humans and, if they do bite, it only causes mild irritation. Found Zebra spiders outside on walls, plants, fences, and trees while they bask in the sun.

Conclusion

Most of us spend far more time worrying about spider bites than necessary. Michigan is a state where you’re never more than six miles away from a body of water. This water attracts insects which, of course, attracts spider predators. Even though many of these spiders do have venom, only a couple are dangerous enough to actually harm you. Even then, those spiders steer clear of humans whenever they can and prefer a life of solitude.

• Related Read: 6 Spiders Found in North Carolina

Featured Image Credit by Eric_Karits, Pixabay