GREAT SALT LAKE — It’s no secret that Antelope Island State Park is a haven for many organisms and wildlife. But from July to early September, spiders are the star.
“If you come out in July or the parts of August, the whole island, it looks like a Halloween store,” said Trish Ackley, a park naturalist at Antelope Island State Park. "Every shrub, every building is just draped with spider webs."
But alas, it’s not too late to get a glimpse of these harmless spiders, called the Western Spotted Orb Weaver.
Young Orb Weavers generally emerge in spring but aren't seen until summer and fall, when they typically reach maturity. According to Ackley, the Great Salt Lake provides a perfect environment for them to thrive. The state park offers plenty of space to build webs and lots of insects.
“It can be creepy, [but] for the most part they are harmless,” Ackley added. “So that's kind of the feeling I’m trying to change a little bit with our visitors.”
For park visitor Nate Meno, that feeling isn't quite relatable yet.
“Spiders are cool, but from afar,” said Meno.
Meno and his daughter were walking around the Marina counting the spiders.
Ackley also says that spiders aren’t a pest. Like other organisms, they have a job and are part of the natural food cycle.
“We are a buggy place — that's kind of our reputation,” Ackley explained. “We do have a lot of bugs. They feed a lot of birds. Bugs have a job to do, but spiders have a job to do too, and that's to clear out some of those bugs. Imagine Antelope Island without somebody eating bugs. I mean, it would be insufferable.”
At the park, there are also other kinds of spiders to be spotted.
There are cobweb spiders, sheet web spiders, ground spiders, and jumping spiders.
These spiders aren’t a new phenomenon. The park has held a Spider Festival every July for several years to break down myths about these often feared arachnids.
“We can't do anything about them,” Ackley explained. “So let's celebrate them.”
