Common candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha ovata)

The common candy-striped spider is a spider in the family Theridiidae that is not dangerous to people. GBIF holds 415 licensed U.S. records of it; it reaches our listing threshold in 20 states, most of all Ohio (72), Michigan (44) and Washington (41). Its observation records peak in July.

20states on record

415licensed U.S. records

Julpeak month, observations

Novenomous to people

Enoplognatha ovata, the common candy-striped spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theridiidae. Their scientific name derives from the latin word 'ovatus' which means egg-shaped. Despite its small size, this is a formidable predator which can prey on insects many times its size.

From Wikipedia: Enoplognatha ovata, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bitten? Call 911 for a venomous snakebite or any bite with trouble breathing. For advice on any bite or sting, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24/7, U.S.-wide). Do not cut the wound, suck out venom or use a tourniquet. General information, not medical advice. Do not handle or try to identify a snake or spider by this page; if unsure, treat it as venomous.

Is the common candy-striped spider poisonous or venomous?

Not in any medically significant way. Like almost all spiders the common candy-striped spider (family Theridiidae) has venom for its prey, but it is not a widow or recluse, the two U.S. groups whose bites need medical attention.

Which states have the common candy-striped spider?

Records are spread over 20 states; the top three, Ohio, Michigan and Washington, hold 38% of them.

Source: GBIF, read 2026-09-29. A state is listed once GBIF holds at least 10 records of the species there under any license; Records counts only CC0 and CC BY records, so a listed state can show fewer.
#	State	Records	Share of state spiders	Rank in state
1	Ohio	72	1.0%	23rd of 332
2	Michigan	44	1.9%	16th of 122
3	Washington	41	1.0%	17th of 157
4	Oregon	39	1.4%	13th of 88
5	Wisconsin	30	1.0%	22nd of 149
6	Maine	28	3.0%	10th of 297
7	Minnesota	28	0.9%	24th of 145
8	Colorado	26	0.6%	23rd of 378
9	New York	23	0.4%	52nd of 149
10	Vermont	19	1.2%	20th of 74
11	Illinois	17	0.1%	142nd of 243
12	New Hampshire	14	1.0%	26th of 72
13	California	11	0.0%	215th of 309
14	Utah	6	0.2%	38th of 97
15	Idaho	5	1.0%	20th of 56
16	Pennsylvania	3	0.0%	128th of 164
17	Montana	2	0.1%	51st of 75
18	Connecticut	1	0.1%	69th of 86
19	Massachusetts	1	0.0%	138th of 189
20	Wyoming	0	—	—

When is the common candy-striped spider seen?

Across the U.S., observation records of the common candy-striped spider run mostly June through August, peaking in July with 56% of them. Almost none are from December to February.

Season by state

The main season starts in the same month, May, in all 2 states whose main season falls within one calendar year. The most common peak month is July, shared by Oregon and Washington.

Source: GBIF observation records (CC0, CC BY) by state and month, read 2026-09-29. States with fewer than 30 observation records with a month are left out.
State	Main season	Peak month	Observation records
Michigan	concentrated in June and July	—	42
Oregon	May through August	July	38
Washington	May through August	July	36

Where the common candy-striped spider is recorded in each state

Ohio

Ohio holds 72 licensed records, the 23rd most recorded of 332 spiders listed there. Most of its licensed records in Ohio come from Ottawa County, Lake County and Portage County. Next come Summit County (1).

Michigan

Michigan holds 44 licensed records, the 16th most recorded of 122 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Michigan are concentrated in June and July (93% of them); most licensed records come from Emmet County, Benzie County and Charlevoix County. Next come Allegan County (3) and Ingham County (2).

Washington

Washington holds 41 licensed records, the 17th most recorded of 157 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Washington run mostly May through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from King County, Jefferson County and Pierce County. Next come Whatcom County (4) and Clark County (3).

Oregon

Oregon holds 39 licensed records, the 13th most recorded of 88 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Oregon run mostly May through August, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Multnomah County, Clatsop County and Benton County. Next come Washington County (2) and Clackamas County (2).

Wisconsin

Wisconsin holds 30 licensed records, the 22nd most recorded of 149 spiders listed there. Most of its licensed records in Wisconsin come from Dane County, Milwaukee County and Door County. Next come Ozaukee County (2) and Walworth County (2).

Top counties in the U.S.

Source: GBIF licensed records by county (GADM level 2), read 2026-09-29.
#	County	State	Records	Share of U.S.
1	Ottawa County	Ohio	56	13.5%
2	Emmet County	Michigan	24	5.8%
3	Multnomah County	Oregon	22	5.3%
4	King County	Washington	13	3.1%
5	Dane County	Wisconsin	10	2.4%
6	Jefferson County	Washington	6	1.4%
7	Benzie County	Michigan	5	1.2%
8	Clatsop County	Oregon	5	1.2%
9	Pierce County	Washington	5	1.2%
10	Whatcom County	Washington	4	1.0%
11	Milwaukee County	Wisconsin	4	1.0%
12	Charlevoix County	Michigan	3	0.7%
13	Allegan County	Michigan	3	0.7%
14	Clark County	Washington	3	0.7%
15	Ingham County	Michigan	2	0.5%

How recent are the common candy-striped spider records?

Most of what is known about the common candy-striped spider is recent: 74% of dated U.S. records were made in 2017–2026, and half date from 2021 or later. The oldest dated record is from 1969; the busiest year was 2025, with 70 records.

Source: GBIF licensed U.S. records with a year, read 2026-09-29.
Decade	Records	Share
1960s	1	0.2%
1970s	58	13.8%
1980s	12	2.9%
1990s	13	3.1%
2000s	11	2.6%
2010s	59	14.0%
2020s	267	63.4%

Species recorded in the same counties

Of the 53 counties where the common candy-striped spider is most recorded, 37 are also top counties for the garden spider, more than for any other spider. None of its closest neighbors is venomous.

Source: GBIF licensed records, top counties per species and state, read 2026-09-29.
Species	Shared counties
Garden spider	37
Zebra spider	36
Bronze jumper	32
Bold jumper	29
Goldenrod crab spider	27
Sixspotted orbweaver	27
Bridge orbweaver	20
Longbodied cellar spider	19

Other members of the family Theridiidae with profiles here: Western black widow, Triangulate bud spider, False black widow, Brown widow, Common house spider and Southern black widow.

Western black widowLatrodectus hesperusvenomous

Triangulate bud spiderSteatoda triangulosa

False black widowSteatoda grossa

Brown widowLatrodectus geometricusvenomous

Common house spiderParasteatoda tepidariorum

Southern black widowLatrodectus mactansvenomous

Northern black widowLatrodectus variolusvenomous

Common six-spotted cobweaverRugathodes sexpunctatus

GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.

About these numbers

A species is listed for a state once GBIF holds at least 10 records of it located inside the state by coordinates, under any license. Every count, share, month and county shown is computed only from records published under CC0 or CC BY, so a listed species can show few or no counted records. Monthly patterns show when people record spiders, which also reflects when people are outdoors. Venomous status follows taxonomy: pit vipers and coral snakes; widow and recluse spiders; the Arizona bark scorpion. Records filed under older names count for the species they belong to today. Full methodology.