We have the greatest backyard Bug Zapper. We share it with our neighbor just behind us. It's yellow and black and gives us all the heeby jeeby's. I had to muster up some courage to take these pictures. To give you a sense of scale... she is about 5" long with her body being about 1.5" - 2". She's big. I can see her from where I sit here on the couch.
Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus), or, Golden Silk Spider is a large orange and brown spider with the feathery tufts on its legs is well know to most native southerners. It is particularly despised by hikers and hunters, as during late summer and fall the large golden webs of this species make a sticky rap for the unwary. However, as is typical with most spiders, there is little real danger from an encounter with the golden silk spider. The spider will bite only if held or pinched, and the bite itself will produce only localized pain with a slight redness, which quickly goes away. On the whole, the bite is much less severe than a bee string. Typically, the webs are made in open woods or edges of dense forest, usually attached to trees and low shrubs, although they may be in the tops of trees or between the wires of utility lines. But ours has spun her web on our back fence.
When mowing the lawn or otherwise being in the backyard, I find myself ducking. I can't bear to exterminate her. She is pretty and has kept our back yard free of mosquitoes, flies, and other flying pests. So I guess we are both creeped out, and grateful. (mostly creeped out.)
Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus), or, Golden Silk Spider is a large orange and brown spider with the feathery tufts on its legs is well know to most native southerners. It is particularly despised by hikers and hunters, as during late summer and fall the large golden webs of this species make a sticky rap for the unwary. However, as is typical with most spiders, there is little real danger from an encounter with the golden silk spider. The spider will bite only if held or pinched, and the bite itself will produce only localized pain with a slight redness, which quickly goes away. On the whole, the bite is much less severe than a bee string. Typically, the webs are made in open woods or edges of dense forest, usually attached to trees and low shrubs, although they may be in the tops of trees or between the wires of utility lines. But ours has spun her web on our back fence.
When mowing the lawn or otherwise being in the backyard, I find myself ducking. I can't bear to exterminate her. She is pretty and has kept our back yard free of mosquitoes, flies, and other flying pests. So I guess we are both creeped out, and grateful. (mostly creeped out.)
1 comment:
Yikes!!! Spiders just make my spine tingle. They are probably my least favorite creature. I'm sure glad we don't have them quite that large out here in Colorado.
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