A treasure chest of spiders at Sterkspruit Nature Reserve

During a nature and spider walk on October 23, the club members and nature enthusiasts were excited by the diversity of creatures they found.
Malcolm Bain, the reserve’s manager, and his wife, Jonquil, hosted the founder of the SCSA, Astri Leroy, and her husband, John.

They were joined by other SCSA members, Garrie Wright and macro photographer Jarrod Todd.
The various kinds of habitats at the reserve made it exciting for the hikers to find a diversity of creatures.
“We started in the grasslands along the river edge, finding a few orb weavers and some ground-dwelling spiders, but nothing too interesting. We then headed out on a path along the ravine edge towards the forest along the river. This area was lush with greenery and just teeming with life. Here we found some really special spiders. One of them is a water orb weaver that is really not often seen. It is a beautiful spider, having a shiny silver and gold abdomen that really shines in the sun. Another was a beetle crab spider. These, too, are not often seen and are such cute little spiders,” said Todd.
He said the Sterkspruit Nature Reserve is truly a special place, and the SCSA will definitely be visiting again in the near future.

The SCSA is a natural history group. From education to fun walks, members share their enthusiasm with the public and teach them about these eight-legged creatures.
Visit the Spider Club of Southern Africa Facebook group for more information and details about the other interesting events the SCSA hosts.