Don't Accidentally Eat One of These Spiders

Spiny orb-weaver at Windley Key Quarry.

If you ever find yourself walking around the Windley Key Quarry in Islamorada, Florida, you may come across one of these spiders - actually, you will come across at least one of these spiders, they're everywhere. You may even come across one sitting in its web in the middle of the path, hence why you shouldn't just be absentmindedly walking around - that spider could end up on your face or in your mouth. If you do end up eating one of these, it should be on purpose, not by accident! This is called the spiny orb-weaver, and the fact that they're so abundant is a good thing.

Spiny orb-weavers act as a sort of pest control - like most spiders, the spiny orb-weaver catches insects in its web and eats them. This can include pest insects like mosquitoes, so having a lot of them in one area helps keep the mosquito population under control. So, if you're walking around Windley Key Quarry and notice that you're not getting eaten by mosquitoes, you can thank the spiny orb-weavers for that (this may explain why spiny orb-weavers are so common here - its loaded with mosquitoes too!). Although, with how abundant these things are, you have to wonder if they can be considered pests themselves. Despite their flashy appearance, they're not considered harmful to humans; although they can bite, and those spines, which serve to deter predators, can puncture skin, neither is serious at all. So even though they're everywhere, they pose no real threat; that is, unless you accidentally walk into one's web, which is really gross.

Section of limestone showing fossilized coral at Windley Key Quarry.

As the name suggests, the Windley Key Quarry used to be, well, a quarry. It was used to mine limestone, first for building a railroad, then just for decoration. The limestone itself is loaded with fossilized coral - you may even recognize some of the fossils, as living examples of them can still be found in Florida's seas today. That's right - millions of years ago, that whole area was underwater. Now, that period in time is forever preserved in limestone. Said limestone supports a huge variety of plant life, which in turn supports a huge variety of animal life, including our spiny orb-weaver friend. Thanks limestone, we can always count on you.

To learn more about the spiny orb-weaver, go here:
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-23_spiny_orb_weaver_spider.htm
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Gasteracantha_cancriformis/

To learn more about Windley Key Quarry, go here:
https://www.stateparks.com/windley_key_fossil_reef_geological.html
http://www.keyshistory.org/casequarries.html