Cyclosa conica | Bugging You From San Juan Island

Trash Line Orb Weaver (Cyclosa conica)

Posted on April 13, 2026 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

I feel like my posts have been a bit random. There are so many things I want to share and yet, I find myself getting distracted by something, saying “I’ll come back,” but then something else comes along. Isn’t that called LIFE?

Well, I don’t want you to miss seeing this very cool spider I found (April 11, 2026). I had not seen one of these in a while – over a year. This one was in a perfect place for me to get a few photos and I was happy with how they turned out.

Meet the Trash Line Orb Weaver in the family Araneidae. The species is Cyclosa conica. I believe it’s a “he.” The debris along the web mimics bird droppings. When you look closer, you can usually see remnants of prey left in the line. This looks to have a Painted Lady Bug (Mulsantina picta) saved for a meal.

I believe the yellow bits on the line are pollen. It’s coating everything out here these days. In case you didn’t know, some spiders will actually consume pollen (and even supplement with nectar) when other food sources may be limited or they are too small to catch other invertebrates.

I’ve linked an earlier blog post I wrote up about this spider back in 2023 here https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/tag/cyclosa-conica/ and you can read a bit about spiders consuming pollen when you check out this blog post https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2022/04/29/ill-have-some-salad-said-the-spider/

If you are interested in a deeper dive about Cyclosa spiders or spiders and pollen, check out the reference section below.

Thanks for reading!

References

Brast, Cynthia. 2021. THE TEENY TINY “TRASHLINE ORB WEAVER” – YES, THAT’S REALLY THE NAME! Bugging You From San Juan Island. https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/tag/cyclosa-conica/

Brast, Cynthia. 2022. I’ll Have Some Salad Said the Spider. Bugging You From San Juan Island. https://buggingyoufromsanjuanisland.com/2022/04/29/ill-have-some-salad-said-the-spider/

Bugguide.net. 2021. Genus Cyclosa – Trashline Orb Weavers. https://bugguide.net/node/view/1989

Eaton, E. 2012. Spider Sunday: Trashline Orb Weavers. Bug Eric Blogspot. http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2012/06/spider-sunday-trashline-orb-weavers.html

Eggs B, Sanders D (2013) Herbivory in Spiders: The Importance of Pollen for Orb-Weavers. PLoS ONE 8(11): e82637. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082637

Nahas, L., Gonzaga, M.O. and Del-Claro, K. (2017), Wandering and web spiders feeding on the nectar from extrafloral nectaries in neotropical savanna. J Zool, 301: 125-132. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12400

Peterson, J.A. Obrycki, J. J. Harwood, J.D. 2016. Spiders from multiple functional guilds are exposed to Bt-endotoxins in transgenic corn fields via prey and pollen consumption. Biocontrol Science and Technology 26:9 (2016), pp 1230–1248. doi 10.1080/09583157.2016.1193591 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/entomologyfacpub/466/#:~:text=formica%2C%20and%20Cyclosa%20turbinata%20(Araneidae,factored%20into%20future%20risk%20assessment.

Trashline Orb Weavers. Missouri Department of Conservation. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/trashline-orbweavers

The Teeny Tiny “Trashline Orb Weaver” – Yes, that’s really the name!

Posted on September 8, 2021 by BUGGING YOU FROM San Juan Island Leave a comment

Trashline Orb Weaver (Cyclosa sp.) San Juan Island, WA 09.06.2021

I am very nearly blind when I try to see things up close, so it truly surprises me how I SEE things like the tiny “laundry” line of dead bugs this little orb weaver had strewn along a filmy thread between the boughs of our fir tree. At first, I thought it was just debris, stuck to the remnant of a spider thread, long abandoned. Upon closer inspection, I saw more threads and then my attention focused on the center, where I was able to discern what looked like teeny legs curled up around a body.

I used my clip on macro lens to get a better look. Indeed, there was a tiny spider in the center. I thought it was dead. That’s EXACTLY what the spider was hoping I’d think, and then I’d move on and the spider could enjoy the morning sun, and maybe a tiny bug for breakfast too.

Cyclosa sp. Trashline Orb Weaver 09.07.2021

Trashline Orb Weaver

I had a hard time getting decent photos. Even with the macro lens, focusing was tough. The wind would blow at just the WRONG second and I’d have to start all over again. I couldn’t find my tripod, but finally got a decent pole to help me balance, and went out to take photos at different times over a period of 2 days. I even went out last night and took a picture.

It was fairly easy to identify the spider to Genus (Cyclosa), but species ???? . After going through the literature I had, I narrowed it to 2 possibilities, but reached out to Rod Crawford for help. Rod is the curator of arachnids at Seattle’s Burke Museum and this is what he says,

“Yes, it’s a Cyclosa. This time of year all Cyclosa are juvenile, and I for one cannot distinguish between our 2 species (C. conica, C. turbinata) as juveniles. However, C. conica is more common.”

So, my little spider with a laundry line of bugs is either Cyclosa conica or Cyclosa turbinata.

Why exactly do they string the debris along their web lines? Well, again, this debris is usually made up of dead bugs and other tiny bits of debris attached to the silk line. Typically, the spider is positioned somewhere in the middle, using the debris as camouflage against predators. Often, the female spiders’ egg sacks are attached to this “laundry line” too. I think laundry line sounds better than trash line, but I don’t think I get to rename the spider.

There are five species of Cyclosa spiders in North America, north of Mexico. I believe we only have the two mentioned by Rod here. I’m going back out to check on my new friend after I finish my post. Enjoy the day and remember to Be Nice to Spiders!

Thanks for reading.

References and Fun Reading

Eaton, E. 2012. Spider Sunday: Trashline Orb Weavers. Bug Eric Blogspot. http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2012/06/spider-sunday-trashline-orb-weavers.html

Bugguide.net. 2021. Genus Cyclosa – Trashline Orb Weavers. https://bugguide.net/node/view/1989

Trashline Orb Weavers. Missouri Department of Conservation. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/trashline-orbweavers