Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Miz Spider

I found the most beautiful spider in amongst my tomato plants yesterday...

 

She had caught a poor ladybug in her web, and was wrapping another creature that I think was a stinkbug.


Her attractive nether regions!


Working on dinner!




Anyone know what kind of spider she is? I haven't had a chance to look her up. She was quite large, her body perhaps 3/4" long (not including legs.)

17 comments:

  1. 3/4 of an inch long not including the legs...outa here....zoooooooooooooooooooooom

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  2. Anonymous8:00 pm

    We have those spiders here in Texas. They're Argiope aurantia, also called writing spiders because of that part of their web called the stabilimentum that looks like scribbled writing. The purpose of the stabilimentum hasn't been agreed upon, but some think it might be a warning to protect the web from birds or other prey who might accidentally fly into it. It was thought to stabilize the web, but apparently not any longer.

    Come to think of it, we should be seeing some of their webs soon, but with our awful drought, maybe not. We had at least three or four of them last year. They usually make two egg cases and then die by November. The male is really teeny compared to the female and I think she eats him after mating. What a way to go!

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  3. No idea but she is a beauty!

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  4. A writing spider. I love the name!

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  5. Cool about the spider writing! I have seen some huge spiders here lately but none as lovely as your specimin.

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  6. HOLY CRAP! That spider is HUGE!

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  7. We had lots of those where I grew up - we called them black and yellow garden spiders. One live by our dog house - I named it Boris. But you can read more about them here
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia

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  8. Magnificent specimen. Spiders are so artistic in their work. And very self-sufficient. I could never, never kill a spider. I don't like them in the house. I usually bring them out gently, telling them that I don't have what they like to eat. They understand and are quite happy to run away.

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  9. Brian C4:39 am

    Knatolie, such stunning close-ups. They give new meaning to your "web" site!

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  10. BIG! It's called a Big Spider!

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  11. We had those in the Carolinas when I was young. The myth was that, if the spider wrote your name, you would die. My name was all zig-zag lines and angles, at least the first three letters were, so I worried a lot.

    I think that's my whole problem.

    Currently, in SC, we see signs of creeping neo-tropical zone. We have suddenly added golden orb spiders (even larger than your beauty, with webs many feet across) to our neighborhood, many miles further north of their previous habitat.

    Good shots. It's not easy to get them properly lit.

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  12. Nancy9:37 pm

    So lucky, Pnat! A garden spider like this spun her web next to our side porch, beneath the porch light, a couple of years ago. So clever, because she caught all the bugs who swarmed the light! A really beautiful and helpful friend; I wish we had such a neighbor every year.

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  13. Anonymous6:52 pm

    I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for this kind of spider, ever since I read "Charlotte's Web" when I was a kid. "Some pig!"

    Last year I watched as one of these spiders repaired her web every day after catching dinner. It was really fascinating to see how precise she was---with no directions to follow!

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  14. Now Deb, spiders are your friends! :)

    TTPT, thank you!!! For all that I am observant of nature, I really don't know a lot about spiders and had never heard of these. I wondered what that "scribbly" stuff was! I am going to see if she's still there today.

    Jams, I love the name too.

    Ahab, I guess you can see how big she is by comparing her to the unfortunate ladybug she caught. :)

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  15. Wandering Cat, thanks for the link. Fascinating!

    Claude, there are many reasons I like you, and your fondness for spiders is just another one! :)

    Thank you, Brianaroonie!

    Nance, I hope she doesn't write my name! But what a cool story. I looked up the golden orb spiders. Wow, what beauties. I really want to visit the Carolinas sometime.

    TTPT, "Charlotte's Web" was one of my top five favourite books as a kid. I still weep for Charlotte the spider!

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  16. Hey Natalie, here in Australia, we call them Golden Orb spiders...........

    Yes, they can be quite big and we have them around the garden in Summer. The chooks certainly enjoy making a meal out of them. I hate wandering around in the shrubbery and walking into one of their webs.

    They are amazing looking spiders though.

    Claire :}

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  17. Claire, having done some reading I see that we sometimes call them that too! :)

    Don't you have some humungous spiders down under?

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!