The female of this yellowish to light brown spider grows to 5/8th inches long. It has a slightly darker, jagged stripe down its back and both front pairs of legs are often held together as shown (images 1,2,4). The female builds a nursery web and guards her eggs until the spiderlings hatch and disperse.
This spider is common in this area. The specimen in the first two images was found in Neale Woods, along River Trail, during early September. The 4th image was taken in May at the Fontenelle Forest Nature Center.
The identification from these images was verified by experts on BugGuide.
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