I noticed one of these relatively small spiders making a beautiful web on the railing outside my front door. Two more of the same type of spider decided to join the club
and make their homes on the railing, connecting their webs to my mailbox. I am fascinated by the spiders because at first glance, they appear to be dried up, dead leaves or tiny twigs caught in a web...they keep their legs held tightly to their bodies. They only extend their legs when they need to travel or grip the web better (for example, in a gust of wind). I also noticed what appears to be an egg sac in one of the mailbox spiders' web. Any idea what they are? I tried searching the web, but am unsure what words will pull up my spider.