Popular Plants In Your Yard That Magnolia Green Jumping Spiders Love Hiding In

Some spiders you might commonly see in your home include the wolf spider, daddy longlegs, and the American house spider. If you live in the Southeastern part of the United States, you might come across the magnolia green jumper spider (Lyssomanes viridis), particularly if you own and care for a magnolia tree. Like its namesake, the magnolia green jumper spider is at home in the leaves of a magnolia tree, which offers it handy camouflage. The magnolia tree isn't the only common home for this spider, though, as it may live within other plants in your yard, including common trees.

Present in warm, humid states such as South Carolina, down to Florida, and over to Louisiana, this jumper spider features a translucent green body that allows it to blend. As Roads End Naturalist describes it, the body of a magnolia green jumper is slightly flattened vertically. It also prefers vertical surfaces, such as the tree bark of certain trees. Here are the plants and trees where you might find this peculiar little spider.

Although it may be partial to magnolia trees, the magnolia green jumper spider can and will make its home on other trees. Past sightings of the spider species included hickory, oak, maple, and pine. You might also spot one on low-ground bushes, where it's likely hunting prey. Like other jumping spiders, it doesn't spin webs and jumps on its prey. Sometimes, it may spin a line of silk as a dragline when it walks or jumps. 

The magnolia and other trees the magnolia green jumper prefers offer a good opportunity to hunt plant-eating insects like aphids, ants, and mites. While they may look scary, a magnolia green jumper is harmless to humans. These spiders are venomous but don't regularly hurt humans; instead, they use their venom to catch their insect prey.