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Aren’t You Glad I Said Arachnid?

nocturnal spider

Nocturnal spider

The itsy, bitsy spider went…

Who am I kidding!  This baby is huge!  Spider, arachnid, eight-legged wonder.  You can call it what you like, but these super-sized spiders make my hair stand on end.

I was enjoying a warm evening on deck with my hub,  when he pointed out this nocturnal spider. The spider’s web stretched from the house to the Magnolia tree, across the ramp leading to the deck.  By day, this arachnid must pack away her web, but once the sun sets, she’s open for business.

I say ‘she’ because my friend once suggested that I think of all spiders as female or as someone’s
mom making them appear less creepy.  I’m not sure it helped.

Spiders are great for the garden.  I’m delighted they’re here and appreciate the good work they do, reducing the non-beneficial bug population.  It’s just that I prefer they do it when I’m not looking.

spider in web

Waiting for dinner

23 thoughts on “Aren’t You Glad I Said Arachnid?”

  4. [Applauding loudly the fact that you stayed around long enough to take a picture] I admire spiders from afar! I try to think of ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and the annihilation of flies from the world …. just not happy about being in the same room as them …..

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    • Any indoor spiders go into the bug catcher, for the witness relocation program. I send them to the back-40 of the garden and assume that in exchange for liberation, they stay there.

      I’ll find the blog post on the bug catcher. It’s pretty nifty.

      My hub gets credit for the photo, but I did stand close by in fascination…creeped-out fascination.

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  5. You’d never know I lived in the country for 25 years by the way I run screaming from a room at the sight of a fast moving spider. I’ve almost driven into a ditch when one bounced of the ceiling in my car right in front of me….death by arachnid…….eeek. I noticed a spider web today when I bent over to reach for my water can in a pail of water, I leaned into one and then did the…”oh no, is there a spider in my hair?” dance all the way to the bathroom where I brushed like mad. Your photo turned out really well Alys, it creeped me out sufficiently, LOL. You’re braver than me, but take that with a grain of salt. I’m a giant chicken 😀

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    • LOL! I’ve done that very same dance. Mike gets credit for the photo, but not because I was avoiding it. I never have good luck taking a clear shot so I passed the camera to him.

      I don’t mind the long, thin spiders, or the tiny white or gray ones, but once I can see hair on their legs I get the creeps. I’ve encountered black widows (learned recently they aren’t as toxic as we think, except to a small child or some one with a compromised immune system). They’re also very shy.

      I’m glad you didn’t run your car off the road. I’m sure it happens often.

      By the way if you were a giant chicken, you would probably just eat this arachnid for a snack. 😉

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  6. Ok, I could have gone a lifetime without this one. Spiders do belong outside, just not in my field of vision or anywhere I want to walk or go. I know they have a purpose so I leave them alone unless they are inside. I justify sucking them into the vacuum cleaner by thinking they would starve to death inside anyway. Hate running into spiders ALMOST as much as snakes. Snakes make me airborne. Great pictures as far as pictures of spiders go. 🙂

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      • I’ll take the lizards any day. My first husband imported them to our apartment in Taiwan to eat the big bugs. I was happy to have them around until they walked on the ceiling over our bed. That’s where I drew the line. 🙂

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        • Wow! One, that you lived in Taiwan and Two, that you imported lizards. They are cute from a distance, but I agree that I wouldn’t want one hanging out over my bed. We loved counting little geckos in Hawaii on the way back to our hotel room. The boys loved that activity, but I’m sure would have changed their tune if they thought for a minute they might be in the room with us.

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  7. I’ve enjoyed reading the comments from people. I once posted “Of Horses and Spiders” (shots of both) and the comments were definitely love or hate … most hate!

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    • LB the comments are fascinating. I’m going to see if I can share one from G+. It opened my eyes to a whole different side of spiders. David Innes writes: “Would it help at all if I were to tell you that spiders are more like people in their behaviours than most other invertebrates? They are highly intelligent, indulge in complex courtship behaviours and many practice extensive maternal care of their young.

      And one thing that many people in cold climates don’t know: spiders don’t hibernate, and they don’t go through winter as eggs. They simply slow waaaaayyyy down and try to find someplace where they won’t freeze to death. When you turn over a log in winter and find a spider, it’s very much alive, just barely able to move. It’s a very hazardous time for them, and many succumb to chickadees and other small birds who scour every possible hiding place looking for them.

      Spiders are also mostly only a half step away from starving. They don’t have much in terms of energy reserves, which is why they will run quickly, but not far. They get exhausted very quickly. Mostly, they sit and wait. If food doesn’t come along, it turns into the long final wait.

      So don’t be too hard on spiders. They lead a rich and romantic life of hazard, triumph and adventure.”

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  8. Same here – love ’em, just don’t want to see them (or walk through their webs!) We went away for the summer and they had a field day indoors and out. It’s been month and we are still cleaning up the webs. I’ll give them this: they are persistent little buggers! And, neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet….
    xo ~kim & chloe

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    • Thanks for stopping by!

      Wow, that must have been something seeing all the spiders move in. I stumbled upon newly born spiders earlier this summer, probably in the hundreds scattered from the nest. Within two days it was as if they had never been there. They’ve all gone somewhere… perhaps your house. 🙂

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