Would like to observe spiders of the Pine Barrens at night

[njspiders]

Hello!

This is my first post here at the forums, and I would appreciate any information you guys can provide.

I'm an amateur arachnid enthusiast and general lover of nature from Burlington County near Philly, and have put off exploration of the pines for far too long. I spent a couple hours at Franklin Parker Preserve today in search of large spiders in their burrows but didn't have much luck. I had to cut the trip short due to prior plans, but plan on returning soon.

What I would like is some advice on some accessible areas to walk around at night with a headlamp to observe large wolf spiders. The biggest issue for me is not necessarily where exactly to go, but good places to park in order to access wooded areas that aren't private. Today I went via 532 off 206 south and used the Chatsworth Lake entrance. I would be comfortable walking around at night in the preserve, but I'm not sure that it would be okay to be parked at the entrance after dark. Really, any sandy soil and pine barren area would interest me, but again, I don't know if it's okay to just park on the side of the road wherever I please.

I plan on checking out Wharton soon, but that presents the same dilemma to me. Although I haven't been there, I presume there are some parking areas and fear they are the type that are gated and locked after dark. The thing is, after a few daytime trips I will begin to get familiar with various areas and find my own spots, but I would like to go somewhere at night before that time, as daytime observation can be a crap shoot. Walking around at night with a headlamp looking for eye reflections is a lot of fun, and many spiders are out and about looking for a meal or a mate.

I would truly appreciate any help!

Thanks!
Chris

 

[woodjin]

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum. That is a very unique and, well....creepy hobby you have there. there are a (very) few specific areas that are gated off at night but the barrens are HUGE and completely accessable at night. Now, there are some rules regarding access at night, but they are almost entirely ignored by everybody.

The FPP, where you were, is actually private land that is available to the public and probably not the best for night time adventures. You can go down pretty much any dirt road in the state forests and spider hunt to your hearts content.

I'll get you started Turn down quaker bridge road here http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.74137822298347&lng=-74.72611248493194&z=18&type=m&gpx= go past the old church and gun club and then find anywhere to park. The road leads for many miles through the forest but is pretty safe for most cars. Have fun, don't get lost or bit by a black widow.

BTW: There are very large fisher spiders about also.

Jeff

 

[njspiders]

Jeff,

Thank you very much! That is exactly the type of advice I'd hoped for. Thanks for the heads up about FPP at night. Will probably check out Quaker Bridge Rd tomorrow night.

I figured large fishing spiders would be out there as well. Those are very cool, but what I'd really like to see are large Hogna Carolinensis wolf spiders. They are "common" in NJ, but I've yet to find any. The Pine Barrens seem like my best chance locally. I had a bit of a game of tug of war with a wolf spider in a burrow at FPP today with a blade of grass, but couldn't draw it out completely. Black Widows are something I would like to see as well. Any tips as to generic types of places you've seen their webs?

Thanks again,
Chris

 

[swwit]

I've looked for spiders and those huge green bugs that appear to be a cricket or katydid. I find them on the road at night. I don't like to walk that much because I always seen to walk face first into huge webs.

 

[Teegate]

I took a photo of an interesting web on Saturday along the Batsto River. It did not turn out well so I did not post it. In any event, here it is.

There is another Parker Preserve entrance that you most likely don't know about. Park at the below link and walk east on Baptist Road along the "Long Causeway" to the bogs.

Park at the gate.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.79561173975696&lng=-74.4979476928711&z=16&type=h&gpx=

Walk to the bogs right by the bench they provide.

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.794210362111464&lng=-74.49060916900635&z=16&type=h&gpx=


Guy

 

[njspiders]

Made it down to Quaker Bridge Rd last night but didn't have much success. I ventured down a few trails, but not very far since it was dark. There was a surprising amount of car traffic along there. Pitch black woods don't bother me but the cars were unnerving.

The habitat seemed a bit too "woodsy" for what I'm looking for. I was checking out the thread about the pine plains, and I think that will be my next stop. I'm looking for very sandy open areas with sparse vegetation as opposed to dense woods. I did see a number of small to medium wolf spiders, a medium sized fishing spider, a large orb weaving spider, and a web very similar to the photo Guy posted, with a surprisingly large inhabitant.