Ojai Spiders: Orb Weaver?
I found this spider dangling from the passion flower vine-covered trellis in the backyard. It was feeding on a gulf frittilary caterpillar over an inch long, one of many on the plant. It sucked it down in about ten minutes.
So what is it? Click through to find out and see spider video!
I believe its an Orb Weaver Spider - Neoscona arabesca.
Spider video I have hosted on YouTube.
Some more info:
Orb Weaver Spider (cirrusimage.com) - Spider silk is a complex protein that takes a great deal of energy to manufacture, so rather than let it go to waste, these thrifty arachnids recycle it every morning, and spin a new web in the evening.
Orb-weaver spider (Wikipedia) - The orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. The family is a large one, including over 2800 species in over 160 genera worldwide, making it the third largest family of spiders known.