The silk spider (Nephila clavipes) is commonly known as the “Hurricane spider” in Bermuda for its supposed ability to predict bad weather. According to local folklore, it will spin its web close to the ground, in trees or shrubs, when bad weather is coming. When conditions are good its web can be seen in the higher branches of foliage. The larger, dominant female builds a strong web of silk. The smaller male lives on the outskirts of the web to avoid being eaten by the female. The females are among the largest non-tarantula-like spiders in North America and are perhaps the largest orb-weavers in the Western hemisphere. Females range from one to one-and-a-half inches length. With low pressure to our south pushing north bringing increased cloudiness, rain and showers this week, Royal Gazette reader Gerri Crockwell-Sequeros visited Astwood Park to see if the stories about their storm-forecasting abilities held true. They seemed to. She reports that most of the silk spiders at the Warwick Park were spinning their webs close to the ground.