Driving home tonight, I saw a long strand of this spider's web running from high in a tree down to tall grass by the side of the road and glinting in the sunset. The spider itself was large enough for me to take in as I passed by and then make me turn around.
It is an Argiope aurantia Lucas, or a yellow garden spider, or—as I know them—a zipper spider, because of the way the way they weave their webs.
These iPhone photos are not too shabby! I was only a couple of miles from home but I knew the light would be gone if I took the time to dash for the fancy camera.
The iPhone had a harder time with capturing the web (or it could have been me having a harder time, or the fact that a little wind blew threw).
5 comments:
Kaila! These are the crazy huge spiders I saw once while staying in a rustic cabin out at Winedale! I wondered what they were. Our cabin was surrounded by large trees and a LOT of these spiders had constructed enormous webs between all of them. It was kind of scary that there were so many in one place, like they were taking over the town (see 1977 movie Kingdom of the Spiders, which might explain my lifelong fear of them). Mark walked through a web and got one on his shoulder and we FREAKED OUT. They are SO HUGE! I might have nightmares tonight...
Gretchen! NOOO! I told you to stay away!!!
Do you remember a few years ago a news story about a giant spider web in Texas, one that covered miles or something? Of course it was many spiders' webs together, not truly one giant web...but your story reminds me of it.
Just remember that they are gentle, and SO much more scared of you than you are of them.
Hmm....boys' names....Arachno!
p.s. Can't wait to hunt down said 1977 movie Kingdom of the Spiders...never heard of it, but it sounds right up my alley.
Starring William Shatner, no less! It actually is a classic sort of 70s old school movie. Check out the movie poster on the wikipedia page. Love it.
Arachno?? Don't make me regret asking you! ;-)
And then! Gretchen, it happened to me too, a few days ago, when I took the dogs for a walk. It was late. It was dark. I took the alternate path to the right, the path that doesn't lead past the neighbors' house. And suddenly I ran into a web! Suddenly something was running down my arm! Though I like them, still I understood and commiserated with my non-spider-loving friends. I thought especially of you!
XOX! and non-webby wishes to you!
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