Araneus gemmoides relatively large abdomen. Their color changes from summer to winter. The female will die within days of laying a single egg sac with hundreds of eggs. Egg sacs can survive over winter, and the emerging spiderlings will eat their brothers and sisters. The babies ride strands of silk in warm air currents, able to transport them to locations miles away. Araneus gemmoides Araneus gemmoides, commonly known as the jewel spider (a name shared with "Austracantha minax") and cat-faced spider (a name shared with "Araneus gemma"), is a common outdoor orb-weaver spider found in the USA and Canada. They are considered
Araneus quadratus wooded areas, or wherever there is vegetation to string an orb web across. This species builds its web close to the ground to catch jumping insects such as small grasshoppers. The female builds the more elaborate web, complete with a funnel-shaped retreat off to the side where she goes during inclement weather. The web is smaller and closer to the ground than those of other species of orb-weaver. Adult females can actively change their color. It takes about three days to take on colors that accurately match their resting surface. Araneus quadratus Araneus quadratus, the four-spot orb-weaver, is a common