Is it Halloween Already?
September 10, 2006
Not to perpetuate any spider stereotypes, but if you saw this bad boy outside your window one night, wouldn't you be just a little bit spooked?
Our house seems to be the place to be these days if you are a large hairy spider. This particular spider, another orb weaver, (remember our first?) has built his web just outside the computer desk window. He hides himself under the gutter through the day but at night, if we turn on our motion detector light, it shines right on him and his web. We thought it made for a very spooky sight! It was tricky to get this nighttime shot - I finally handed the camera over to dear husband who figured out which settings to use.
Aren't his markings, well, remarkable? (Click the image to see him more clearly.) If you are not entirely turned off by bug sightings like this, I've uploaded some more spider pictures into our Autumn Nature Study photo album at right. :)
September must be their season, because it seems spiders are making themselves comfortable all across the country - check out the amazing specimens spotted by the Ladybugs family and the Parente gang!
Maybe there are arachnids visiting your home and garden? Take a look around! These particular spiders seem to be nocturnal. (Is that possible?) Their webs are up through the day, but it's only as evening gathers that these guys crawl out of hiding and set to work making any necessary repairs to their webs - generally attending to any and all spider matters before the dark sets in.
I think our Autumn nature study is officially kicked off! Must be time for another Field Day ...
:)