Literary-significance
Guides
Araneus cavaticus
Barn Spider, Barn Orbweaver
Araneus cavaticus, commonly known as the barn spider, is a large orb-weaving spider native to North America. Females reach approximately 20 mm in body length and are typically yellow and brown in coloration. The species is strongly associated with human structures, particularly barns and wooden buildings, where they construct their webs in rafters and under eaves. The barn spider gained cultural significance as the basis for the character Charlotte in E. B. White's children's novel Charlotte's Web.