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Friday, August 24, 2012

My Favorite Spider...


This one's currently living along our front sidewalk, see how it's got it's fangs on the web so it can detect the slightest movement.

...Is the beautiful Argiope aurantia, or as we like to call them, writing spiders. They're called writing spiders because they "write" a zig-zag stripe vertically down the middle of their web. I don't know why I like them so much, but I do. When I was younger, I always considered them as temporary yard pets (and I still do). If I found one, I would feed it, sweeping my hands through the grass to catch a moth or two, then throw it onto the spider's web and watch it get snatched and wrapped up by the spider. 

This one's a female.

She had a male (who is much smaller) visit a couple of days ago, so I hope I see an egg case soon!

I found this one down by the river this morning.

She has quite possibly the largest abdomen I've ever seen on a writing spider.

Look at that profile!

She built her web right over a huge patch of Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). Smart girl, that's why she looks so well-fed!
Congratulations! You made it all the way to the bottom of this post without turning away! I salute you for not being too creeped out by spiders!
If you need to brush up on your spider anatomy, here's a cute diagram I found: 

5 comments:

  1. I get it...your "fave-o-write" spider. Ha, ha good one.

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  2. I like spiders too, though I've always let them find their own meals. Excellent photos.

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  3. Quite interesting colours on that spider. Like a warning, yellow and black. It's hard work to wave that all...

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  4. Your photos are actually quite beautiful even though I share the common aversion to spiders. Loved the spoof of spider anatomy at the end! Made me laugh out loud. . . .

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  5. I enjoy finding these in my habitat as well. :) Nice to see that I'm not alone.

    As a young teen, I liked the look of them, but they did creep me out just a bit--well, I'd often find them blocking my path with their web, and I'd end up going another way around.

    I was thrilled to find them here...they were one of the first things to show up my first year here. I enjoy them more as an adult...then again, they've yet to block my paths yet. :)

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