Houston’s warm, humid climate creates the perfect environment for a diverse spider population. While finding eight-legged visitors in your home or garden might make you uneasy, most spiders in Houston play beneficial roles by controlling insect populations.
This guide will help you identify the 20 most common spiders you’ll encounter in the Houston area, understand which species pose potential risks, and learn how to coexist safely with these often-misunderstood arachnids.
Black Widow Spider
The black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) is one of Houston’s most recognizable and medically significant spiders. Female black widows display distinctive glossy black bodies with the infamous red hourglass marking on their undersides, measuring about 1.5 inches with legs extended. Males are much smaller and rarely bite.
You’ll typically find black widows in dark, undisturbed areas like woodpiles, storage sheds, garage corners, and beneath outdoor furniture. They construct irregular, tangled webs close to ground level where they wait for prey.
Pro Tip: Black widows are not aggressive and only bite when directly threatened or accidentally pressed against skin. If you suspect a bite, seek medical attention immediately as their neurotoxic venom can cause severe symptoms.
While their venom is potent, black widow spiders prefer to flee rather than fight. When working in areas where they might hide, wear gloves and shake out items that have been stored outdoors before handling them.
Brown Widow Spider
The brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) is the black widow’s less dangerous cousin that has become increasingly common in Houston over the past two decades. These spiders display tan to dark brown coloring with geometric patterns on their abdomens and distinctive orange or yellow hourglass markings underneath.
Key Insight: Brown widows produce egg sacs with distinctive spiky projections that look like small, spherical sea mines—a reliable identification feature that sets them apart from other spider species.
Brown widows favor protected outdoor locations including mailboxes, under eaves, patio furniture, plant containers, and playground equipment. They’re more tolerant of activity around their webs than black widows, making encounters more likely. Their venom is less potent than their black widow relatives, and bites typically result in localized pain and mild symptoms.
Look for their characteristic egg sacs when identifying potential brown widow habitats. Each female can produce multiple egg sacs throughout the year, contributing to their expanding range across Houston neighborhoods.
Brown Recluse
The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) generates significant concern among Houston residents, though they’re less common here than in other parts of Texas. These spiders feature uniform light to medium brown coloring and the characteristic dark violin-shaped marking on their cephalothorax (the fused head and thorax region). Adults measure about half an inch in body length.
True to their name, brown recluses seek secluded, rarely disturbed locations inside homes and structures. You might find them in closets, attics, basements, behind stored boxes, or within seldom-used shoes and clothing. Unlike most spiders with eight eyes, brown recluses have six eyes arranged in three pairs.
Their venom contains enzymes that can cause necrotic lesions in some bite victims, though severe reactions are relatively uncommon. Many suspected brown recluse bites are actually other skin conditions or bites from different arthropods.
Common Mistake: Not every brown spider is a brown recluse. Many harmless species get misidentified. Confirm the violin marking and six-eye arrangement before assuming you’ve found a recluse.
Prevention focuses on reducing clutter, sealing cracks and gaps in your home’s foundation and walls, and shaking out stored items before use. If you discover brown recluses in your home, professional pest control may be warranted.
Southern House Spider
The southern house spider (Kukulcania hibernalis) is frequently mistaken for a brown recluse due to its brown coloring and similar size, but it’s completely harmless to humans. Females are charcoal gray to brown with robust bodies, while males are amber-colored with distinctly longer legs and more slender profiles.
These beneficial spiders construct messy, funnel-shaped webs in corners, crevices, window frames, and around exterior lighting where insects congregate. Unlike brown recluses, southern house spiders have eight eyes and lack the violin marking. They’re excellent hunters that help control household pest populations.
You’ll notice southern house spider webs are thick and persistent, often requiring multiple cleanings to remove completely. The spiders themselves are shy and quickly retreat when disturbed. Their presence often indicates a healthy insect population nearby that’s serving as their food source.
Females remain in their webs for years, continuously maintaining and expanding them, while males wander in search of mates. These spiders are beneficial allies in natural pest management and pose no threat to household members or pets.
Texas Brown Tarantula
The Texas brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi) is Houston’s most impressive spider by size, with females reaching 4-5 inches in leg span. These stocky, dark brown to black spiders have dense hair covering their bodies and legs, creating a formidable appearance that far exceeds their actual danger level.
Pro Tip: If you encounter a tarantula, simply give it space. These docile spiders rarely bite humans, and when they do, the effect is comparable to a bee sting for most people.
Male tarantulas become particularly visible during late summer and fall when they wander in search of females, sometimes appearing on roadways, sidewalks, or in yards. Females typically remain in or near their burrows, which appear as silk-lined holes in the ground, often in undeveloped areas, parks, and suburban yards with natural vegetation.
Despite their intimidating size, Texas brown tarantulas are gentle creatures that prefer to flee rather than bite. When threatened, they may flick urticating hairs from their abdomens, which can cause skin irritation and should not be touched. These long-lived spiders (females can survive 25+ years) play important roles in controlling insect and small arthropod populations.
Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders (Hogna carolinensis and related species) are robust, hairy hunters that you’ll often spot running across floors, lawns, or garden areas. These spiders range from half an inch to over an inch in body length, displaying brown, gray, or black coloring with distinctive striped patterns on their bodies. Unlike web-building spiders, wolf spiders are active hunters with excellent vision.
You’ll recognize wolf spiders by their eye arrangement: four small eyes in a bottom row, two large eyes in a middle row, and two medium eyes on top, giving them nearly 360-degree vision. Their hunting strategy involves chasing down prey rather than trapping it in webs.
Female wolf spiders demonstrate fascinating maternal behavior by carrying their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets, and after hatching, dozens of spiderlings ride on their mother’s back for protection. This sight can be startling but indicates a beneficial spider that’s managing pest populations.
Important Note: Wolf spiders can deliver a defensive bite if grabbed or trapped against skin, but their venom is not medically significant. The bite may cause temporary pain and localization but typically resolves without treatment.
These ground-dwelling hunters prefer outdoor habitats including gardens, leaf litter, woodpiles, and stone walls, but sometimes wander indoors, especially during fall months. They’re valuable pest control agents that consume large quantities of insects, crickets, and other small invertebrates.
Jumping Spider
Jumping spiders (Phidippus audax and others) are among Houston’s most charismatic and easily recognized spiders. These compact, fuzzy spiders rarely exceed half an inch in length and feature large forward-facing eyes that give them an almost cute appearance. The bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax) displays black coloring with white or orange spots.
What sets jumping spiders apart is their behavior—they move in quick, jerky motions and can leap many times their body length to capture prey or escape threats. Their exceptional vision allows them to track movement and judge distances with remarkable accuracy.
You’ll find jumping spiders actively hunting on walls, windowsills, fences, vegetation, and outdoor furniture during daylight hours. Unlike most spiders, they don’t build webs for hunting, instead stalking prey like tiny cats before pouncing. They do create small silk retreats for molting and resting.
These spiders display curious personalities and will often turn to face you when approached, apparently studying you with their prominent eyes. They’re completely harmless to humans and make fascinating observation subjects. Their presence indicates a healthy ecosystem with adequate prey populations.
Orchard Orb-Weaver
The orchard orb-weaver (Leucauge venusta) is one of Houston’s most attractive spiders, though its small size means it often goes unnoticed. This delicate spider features an elongated, silvery-green abdomen with distinctive black spots or stripes and bright orange-red markings. Females measure about one-third of an inch in body length.
These spiders construct horizontal or tilted orb webs (circular webs with radial support lines) in gardens, shrubs, and trees, typically in shaded areas near water sources. The orchard orb-weaver often positions itself hanging upside down in the center of its web, showing off its colorful ventral surface.
Key Insight: Orchard orb-weavers are incredibly beneficial garden residents that consume mosquitoes, gnats, and small flying insects throughout the growing season.
Their webs are works of geometric precision, rebuilt frequently to maintain effectiveness. Multiple orchard orb-weavers may construct webs in close proximity when conditions are favorable. Despite handling hundreds of potentially disease-carrying insects, these spiders pose absolutely no threat to humans or pets.
The species name “venusta” means beautiful or charming, an appropriate descriptor for these jewel-like spiders. They’re most active during warmer months and become less visible during Houston’s mild winters.
Garden Spider
The garden spider (Argiope aurantia), also called the black and yellow garden spider or writing spider, creates some of Houston’s most impressive webs. Females can reach 1.5 inches in body length with distinctive yellow and black banded legs and a striking yellow, black, and silver patterned abdomen. Males are significantly smaller and rarely noticed.
You’ll find garden spiders in sunny locations throughout gardens, meadows, and along building edges where flying insects are abundant. Their large orb webs can span 2 feet in diameter and feature a distinctive zigzag pattern called a stabilimentum in the center—the “writing” that gives them their alternate name.
These spiders typically position themselves head-down in the web’s center, legs arranged in an X-pattern. When disturbed, they may shake their webs vigorously or drop to the ground on a silk line. Despite their intimidating size, garden spiders are docile and beneficial predators.
Garden spiders consume significant quantities of grasshoppers, aphids, beetles, and wasps throughout the summer and fall. Each evening they consume their old web and build a fresh one, optimizing hunting success. Their presence indicates a healthy, pesticide-free environment rich in insect diversity.
Banded Garden Spider
The banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) closely resembles its cousin the black and yellow garden spider but features silver and white banding rather than yellow. This spider displays distinctive bands across its abdomen and constructs similarly impressive orb webs in gardens and open areas.
Like other Argiope species, the banded garden spider incorporates stabilimenta into its web—vertical zigzag patterns that may serve multiple purposes including attracting prey, warning birds to avoid the web, or providing structural support. The spider positions itself in the web’s center with legs paired together.
Common Mistake: Many people destroy garden spider webs thinking the spiders are dangerous. These beneficial arachnids are harmless to humans and provide excellent natural pest control.
Banded garden spiders prefer slightly different habitats than their yellow cousins, often building webs in prairie-like settings with tall grasses and wildflowers. In Houston gardens, you’ll find them in areas with native plants and diverse vegetation. They’re particularly effective at controlling grasshopper and cricket populations.
Females produce large, brown, papery egg sacs in late summer and fall, often attached to structures near their final webs. These egg sacs overwinter, with hundreds of tiny spiderlings emerging the following spring to continue the cycle of natural pest management.
Spiny Orb-Weaver
The spiny orb-weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) is one of Houston’s most unusual and easily identified spiders. This tiny spider features a hard, shell-like abdomen with six prominent spines protruding from the edges, resembling a tiny crab. Color variations include white, yellow, orange, or red abdomens with black spots, and black or red spines.
Despite their armored appearance, spiny orb-weavers measure only about one-quarter inch across. They construct small orb webs in shrubs, citrus trees, and wooded areas, typically at face height along trails and between structures. The spider positions itself in the web’s center, where its bright coloring and unique shape make it highly visible.
These spiders are completely harmless—their spines are hard rather than sharp and cannot penetrate skin. The hardened abdomen protects them from many predators. You’ll encounter them most frequently during fall and winter months in Houston when their populations peak.
Males are much smaller than females and lack the distinctive spines, appearing as tiny, unremarkable brown spiders. After mating, females produce yellow silk egg sacs that they attach to vegetation near their webs. The species’ scientific name “cancriformis” references its crab-like appearance.
Golden Silk Orb-Weaver
The golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes) creates Houston’s largest and most spectacular spider webs. Females can reach 2-3 inches in body length with legs extended, featuring elongated bodies with yellow spots on silvery-white backgrounds and distinctive tufted leg joints. Males are tiny by comparison, about one-fifth the female’s size.
These impressive spiders construct enormous golden-colored webs—sometimes spanning 3-6 feet—in areas with good sunlight. The silk’s golden hue comes from natural compounds that may protect the silk from degradation by UV light. These permanent webs can persist for months with daily repairs and renovations.
Pro Tip: Golden silk orb-weaver silk is remarkably strong—approximately five times stronger than steel of the same diameter. Researchers study this silk for potential applications in medicine and materials science.
You’ll find golden silk orb-weavers in wooded areas, parks, gardens, and between buildings where they can anchor their large webs. They’re particularly common near water bodies where insect populations support their voracious appetites. Despite their size, these spiders are shy and non-aggressive. Bites are extremely rare and cause only minor, localized symptoms.
The species plays an important ecological role controlling flying insect populations, including mosquitoes and small moths. Their webs are strong enough to capture small birds or bats occasionally, though these are released unharmed as the spiders cannot consume such large prey.
Green Lynx Spider
The green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) is Houston’s most vibrant spider, featuring brilliant green coloring that provides excellent camouflage among garden foliage. This medium-sized hunting spider reaches about 5/8 inch in body length (females) with long, spiny legs and distinctive red spots or chevrons on its body.
Unlike most spiders, green lynx spiders are active hunters that don’t build webs. They stalk prey on plant surfaces, using their excellent vision and quick reflexes to ambush insects. Their long, mobile legs allow them to move rapidly in any direction on vegetation and flowers.
You’ll find green lynx spiders on flowering plants, shrubs, and in vegetable gardens where they hunt beneficial and pest insects indiscriminately. They’re particularly common on cotton, sunflowers, and tomato plants. Female green lynx spiders demonstrate strong maternal instincts, guarding their egg sacs aggressively and even spitting venom at perceived threats—a rare spider behavior.
Important Note: While green lynx spiders can bite if grabbed, their venom causes only minor, localized pain and slight swelling. The “venom spitting” defense mechanism can cause temporary eye irritation if it makes contact.
These spiders provide valuable pest control in gardens and agricultural settings, consuming caterpillars, beetles, bugs, and flying insects throughout the growing season. Their bright green coloring fades to brown during winter months or when the spider is preparing to molt.
Crab Spider
Crab spiders (family Thomisidae) include numerous species in Houston, all characterized by their crab-like appearance and sideways walking movements. These spiders have flattened bodies with front legs that are longer than their rear legs, held out to the sides in a distinctly crab-like posture. Species vary in color from white and yellow to brown and pink.
The most commonly noticed crab spiders are flower-dwelling species that use camouflage to ambush pollinators. White or yellow crab spiders position themselves on matching flowers, waiting motionless for visiting bees, butterflies, or flies. Their patience and perfectly matched coloring make them nearly invisible.
Some crab spider species can gradually change color over several days to match different flowers—a remarkable adaptation. Others display cryptic patterns that blend with bark or leaves where they hunt. They don’t build webs, relying instead on powerful front legs to grab and hold prey while their venom takes effect.
Despite capturing bees and other stinging insects, crab spiders are harmless to humans. They’re too small to bite through skin effectively, and even if they did, their venom is not medically significant. Their presence in gardens indicates healthy pollinator populations and biodiversity.
Long-Bodied Cellar Spider
The long-bodied cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides), often called “daddy longlegs” (though this name also applies to harvestmen, which aren’t spiders), features an extremely small body with disproportionately long, thin legs. These delicate spiders measure about 1/4 inch in body length but can have leg spans of 2 inches.
You’ll find cellar spiders in dark, undisturbed areas of homes including basements, crawl spaces, garages, closets, and corners where walls meet ceilings. They construct messy, irregular webs and hang upside down from them, waiting for prey. When disturbed, they vibrate rapidly in their webs, creating a blur that may confuse predators.
Key Insight: Despite persistent myths, cellar spiders are not venomous to humans (all spiders have venom, but cellar spider venom is harmless to people). They’re beneficial residents that consume other household spiders, including more problematic species.
Cellar spiders are excellent at controlling other arthropod populations in homes. They’ll capture and consume mosquitoes, flies, ants, and even other spiders. Their webs accumulate over time if undisturbed, creating the cobweb appearance in neglected areas.
These spiders tolerate each other’s presence better than most spider species, sometimes building webs in close proximity. Females carry their egg sacs in their jaws until the spiderlings hatch. Their presence indoors is generally beneficial and indicates they’re finding sufficient prey to sustain their populations.
Funnel Weaver Spider
Funnel weaver spiders (Agelenopsis species) create distinctive funnel-shaped webs that you’ll notice in grass, shrubs, building corners, and between objects in yards and gardens. These medium-sized spiders feature brown or gray coloring with lighter stripes running lengthwise down their bodies. They measure about half an inch in body length.
The characteristic funnel web consists of a flat sheet of silk with a tubular retreat at one edge where the spider hides. When prey lands on the sheet portion, the spider rushes out, captures it, and drags it into the funnel. These webs become particularly visible on dewy mornings when moisture makes the silk conspicuous.
Funnel weavers are fast-moving spiders with excellent tactile sense through their webs. They’re not aggressive toward humans and rarely bite unless trapped against skin. Their venom is not medically significant. The spiders themselves are often mistaken for wolf spiders due to similar coloring and size, but funnel weavers always stay close to their webs while wolf spiders are nomadic hunters.
Common Mistake: Funnel weaver webs are sometimes confused with brown recluse hiding spots. Funnel weavers are harmless, build obvious webs, and are active during the day, while brown recluses hide in secluded spots and avoid light.
During late summer and fall, male funnel weavers wander in search of females, sometimes entering homes through open doors or gaps. These visitors are temporary and harmless. Funnel weavers provide excellent insect control in yards and gardens, consuming significant numbers of crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles.
Ground Spider
Ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae) include numerous small to medium-sized species commonly encountered in Houston. These fast-moving hunters typically feature dark brown, gray, or black coloring with somewhat flattened bodies and relatively long, spinnerets (silk-producing organs) at their rear ends. Most species measure 1/4 to 1/2 inch in body length.
Unlike web-building spiders, ground spiders are nocturnal hunters that spend daylight hours hiding under rocks, logs, leaf litter, mulch, or loose bark. They emerge at night to actively hunt prey on the ground surface. These spiders don’t build webs but produce silk retreats where they rest during the day.
You’ll occasionally find ground spiders in homes, particularly in basements, garages, or ground-level rooms. They typically enter while hunting and don’t establish permanent indoor populations. Their presence usually indicates they’re following prey insects into the structure.
Ground spiders are shy and quick to flee when discovered. Bites are extremely rare and cause only minor, temporary discomfort if they occur. These beneficial predators consume pest insects including cockroach nymphs, silverfish, ants, and small beetles. Their hunting activities help control populations of insects that might otherwise become problematic.
Multiple ground spider species inhabit Houston areas, each with slightly different preferences for habitat and prey. They’re particularly abundant in gardens with mulched beds, compost areas, and naturalized plantings that provide suitable hunting grounds and daytime retreats.
Nursery Web Spider
The nursery web spider (Pisaurina mira) is a large, fast-moving hunter often confused with wolf spiders. These spiders feature brown or tan coloring with a distinctive lighter stripe running down each side of their bodies. Females can reach nearly an inch in body length, making them among Houston’s larger hunting spiders.
Despite superficial similarities to wolf spiders, nursery web spiders have different eye arrangements and behaviors. Female nursery web spiders carry their egg sacs in their jaws (unlike wolf spiders, which attach sacs to their spinnerets). Before the eggs hatch, females construct a tent-like silk nursery web over vegetation where they deposit the egg sac and stand guard.
You’ll find nursery web spiders in gardens, parks, fields, and near water bodies where vegetation provides hunting grounds. They’re active predators that chase down prey including insects, other spiders, and occasionally small tadpoles near water’s edge. Their hunting strategy combines ambush tactics with active pursuit.
Pro Tip: Nursery web spiders are beneficial garden residents that consume significant numbers of pest insects. They’re shy and non-aggressive, with bites being extremely rare and medically insignificant.
These spiders are most visible during late spring and summer when females are guarding their nurseries. The protective mothers remain near their egg sacs and young spiderlings for several days after hatching. Nursery web spiders help control populations of caterpillars, grasshoppers, and flying insects in gardens and natural areas.
Fishing Spider
Fishing spiders (Dolomedes species) are among Houston’s largest spiders, with females reaching 3 inches in leg span. These impressive hunters feature brown or gray coloring with lighter stripes or patterns and robust, water-resistant bodies. Despite their size, they’re remarkably agile both on land and water.
As their name suggests, fishing spiders are semi-aquatic, found near ponds, lakes, slow-moving streams, and even swimming pools. They rest on the water’s surface, using surface tension to support their weight, with their legs spread to detect vibrations from potential prey. These spiders can dive underwater to escape threats, breathing air trapped in their body hairs.
Fishing spiders capture aquatic insects, tadpoles, small fish, and even tiny frogs. They hunt by detecting ripples on the water’s surface, rushing across the water to grab prey with their powerful front legs. On land, they hunt like wolf spiders, actively pursuing prey rather than building webs.
Key Insight: Finding a fishing spider in your pool means they’re hunting the insects attracted to the water. They’re beneficial and will leave on their own—simply provide an exit route like a pool skimmer or towel draped over the edge.
Despite their intimidating size, fishing spiders are timid and prefer to flee rather than bite. Bites are extremely rare and cause only minor, temporary symptoms. These spiders play important roles in aquatic ecosystems by controlling insect populations and serving as prey for birds and fish. Their presence indicates healthy water quality and ecosystem balance.
False Widow Spider
The false widow spider (Steatoda grossa) is commonly mistaken for its dangerous relative, the black widow. These spiders feature dark brown to purplish-black coloring with lighter markings on their abdomens—similar in pattern to black widows but lacking the distinctive red hourglass. Females measure about 1/3 to 1/2 inch in body length.
False widows construct irregular cobwebs in sheltered locations including sheds, garages, under eaves, in woodpiles, and around outdoor furniture. They’re particularly common around exterior lighting where flying insects congregate. These spiders are nocturnal hunters that remain hidden during daylight hours.
While false widows can bite if provoked, their venom is not medically significant. Bites typically cause localized pain and swelling similar to a bee sting but resolve without complications. Reported symptoms are significantly milder than true black widow envenomation.
You can distinguish false widows from black widows by examining their markings—false widows have cream or pale markings on their abdomens rather than the crisp red hourglass, and their overall coloring tends toward brown rather than jet black. Additionally, false widows are generally more willing to abandon their webs when disturbed.
These spiders provide beneficial pest control by consuming flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects. Their presence around homes is generally harmless, though their webs may be considered unsightly. Regular web removal and sealing entry points will manage populations if desired.
Final Thoughts
Houston’s diverse spider population reflects the region’s rich biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. While two species—the black widow and brown recluse—deserve respect and caution, the overwhelming majority of spiders you’ll encounter are harmless and beneficial. These natural pest controllers consume enormous quantities of insects, reducing mosquito populations, agricultural pests, and household nuisances without requiring chemical interventions.
When you spot a spider in or around your home, take a moment to identify it using this guide rather than reacting with unnecessary alarm. Most species prefer to avoid human contact and will relocate on their own if given the opportunity. For indoor spiders, the catch-and-release method using a cup and paper works effectively and humanely.
Understanding Houston’s spider species empowers you to distinguish between genuinely concerning encounters and harmless cohabitation with beneficial wildlife. By learning to identify these remarkable arachnids, you’ll gain appreciation for their ecological roles and confidence in managing your space while respecting the natural pest control services they provide.
