The kids and I were outside playing late this evening and were nearly ready to go inside and get ready for bed (after our game of hide and seek was over) when I happened to glance over at a limb of the tree Haley and I were standing under (hiding). Imagine my surprise (and yes, I'll admit, a slight cringe of "yuck") when I saw this:
Unfortunately the batteries in my new camera had just died. (I've been using it non-stop since Sunday afternoon.) Thus, all these shots were taken with my old (and broken) camera, so the quality is not good at all.
After hanging from the leaf when I first saw him, the spider gradually made his way up to the leaf until he was actually on the bottom of it.
In the following shot I used the flash, which made for a cool photo I thought. Plus you can also see more detail of the spider. I'm not sure what kind it is, but we must have half a dozen of this same kind with webs built all around the yard. I had actually just tried to get a shot of one this morning, but instead managed to scare that particular spider away.
This little guy seemed to have no fear of me though as he did his own thing and mostly just stayed perfectly still while I took shot after shot of him. I managed to capture a thread of silk in this next shot.
The spider eventually began to work his way farther up the leaf.
I took a few more shots and then the kids and I came back inside.
After looking through our insect book, my husband and I think it could be an orb weaver. Whatever it is, thanks Mr. Spider for some cool pictures and a neat experience. Nature rocks!
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Comments: 54
Great photos, the outline of the spider against the evening sky is neat.
Mary: As long as they're not poisonous, we let them stay in the house too. Pretty much for the same reason! The cockroaches down here are.................nasty, gross, huge, unbelievable, disgusting, creepy, and everywhere. No matter where you live.
Hi Andrew!
Gabby: This has happened to me a few times down here. Always at night. It creeps me out too. You don't even know they're there until suddenly they pop down in front of you!
LOL @ Priscilla
Thank you Jamie.
Thanks TK.
Thank you Tara!
Thanks Mom. Haley can go either way I think. They don't terrify her. Mostly she just sees them as something cool to look at and photograph when possibly now I think. ;) She did scream when she saw that black widow the other day. Thank goodness.
Ick, your story gave me chills, Sophie. Fifteen of them all above your head? Not for me!
Hi Marianne!
Sorry about that Barb. :)
Oh no, you're right, Teresa. lol
Nancy: I think they're pretty neat too, just so long as they stay off of me! ;)
Martha: What a place to build a web! And it made the furnace not even start?! You wouldn't think just a spider web would do that! Neat story.
Thanks Martha, JoAnne, Dina and Karen. Hope you enjoyed it!
The writing is very moving.
Thanks for posting this to Things That Make You Go Eeew!
I'm going to feature it too.
www.eeewgroupphotos.gather.com
Please let me know you saw this! There is a contest here on Gather for spider pictures and the winner gets a book containing his or her photos and publication credit.
I hope this is the right link: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977149279