After showing you all the spider web that dangled off our washing line this morning, I thought I’d see whether I could spot the creator of said web. Fortunately, it was a fairly windstill night, and spidey must’ve been rather peckish, because I caught him in the middle of … well, either cleaning up the previous night’s web, or spinning a new web.
Wanna see?
Are you sure?
Before you scroll down impatiently, let me ask you a couple of Questions:
- Is it dark outside?
- Are you alone?
- Do you suffer from arachnophobia, aka a panic-inducing fear of small creatures with eight legs?
Answers:
(a) If you answered yes to all of those, then don’t look now. Rather click on these links – muuuuch prettier images:
(b) If you answered no to all of those, and if you’re feeling particularly brave, then click on each of the images for a closer look.
Oh, and if you know what kind of spider this is, please let me know? We still don’t know if it is poisonous or not.
Grains of Sand 
I am NOT afraid of spiders! How big are they? Did you see my “catch” (from Australias outback): http://truels.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/scott-thomas-assignment-14-showing-scale-in-photography/
– THAT was HUGE!!!
I find your wasps scaring! My only suggestion is to get a professional to exterminate them ….
Hi Truels – it’s actually just one spider, photographed from different angles and with different lighting.
As to size, I guess, if you make a tight circle with your thumb and forefinger, the body of the spider plus the legs will easily fit into the inner circle. So it’s not big – YOUR spider in Australia *was huge* – in fact, I remember that photo!
LOL So nice of you to give your squeamish and arachnophobic readers an out! Although maybe you should have done it the other way around – links to the spider photos, photos for the flower pics.
You couldn’t give the size in centimetres, could you? I have small hands and fingers. Nice spider photos! Can’t see what it is from that angle though. As far as I’m concerned all spiders are poisonous until identified as otherwise.
Oh, and I like the Gazania kaleidoscope the best.
You want me to take out a measuring tape tonight, and to hold it next to the spider???
I *do-o-on’t* think that’s going to happen, Lisa. I too happen to subscribe to the belief “All spiders are poisonous until identified as otherwise.”
OK, I’m going to estimate with a ruler: about 1 to 1.5 cm for the diameter of the body, and about 3 cm diameter if you include the legs!
I love the kaleidoscope pictures too.
Oh, incidentally, the wasps appear to be on the move… one or two (or more?) are flying around the back… I think I’m going to stay inside today.
Maybe you can get a photo of its “back” though? 🙂
Yeah, sure, that should be easy.
NOT! 😉
Reggie, I spotted a spider in the house last night but as large as it was, it still wasn’t as scary-looking as yours. Perhaps it’s the hairiness of yours and the way you’ve photographed it that makes it so much creepier.
LOL… THANKS, Amy! I think mine looks hairy because of the backlighting and because I have zoomed in so much. I don’t think it really is that hairy…. actually, it’s hard to say, because I’ve mainly seen it at night…
Did you take a photograph of yours?
I don’t know Reggie, it does look pretty hairy compared to the one I saw.
Yes, there’s a photo of last evening’s kitchen visitor at
http://flandrumhill.wordpress.com/2011/10/25/idioms-inspired-by-nature/
Thanks, Amy! Now *I* am freaked out too.
Wow! Cool spider! I am not a scaredy-cat of spiders, but snakes are another matter altogether, especially when they’re moving. Good post for Halloween. Do you celebrate Halloween down in S. Africa?
Hahaha!
Thanks, Kathy.
Well, we don’t really celebrate Halloween down here, but the American tradition does seem to have arrived here too. The kids in our neighbourhood do dress up in all kinds of weird costumes and come marching around the neighbourhood, trick-or-treating. I think the little ones are cute, and there’s usually Mommy or Daddy nearby, to keep an eye on things, and to keep the rowdy mob in check. But the teenagers are a different story – they can get quite pushy and intimidating. For a few years, we made a point of stocking up on sweeties and things to hand out, but we somehow missed last year’s event, and this year we are away too.
Is it a big deal in your ‘neck of the woods’? Do you want to borrow our spider? 😉
Nope, not a big deal here in the woods. We haven’t had any trick-or-treaters for years. They do in town, though! And no, thank you, you keep your spider down there at the bottom of Africa, thank you. 🙂
Giggle… okay, if you’re really sure… I could wrap it nicely for you? 😉
I think your spider might be a Garden Orb-web Spider. From the photos I’ve seen they often have those little hairs on them.
Thank you, Lisa! I’ve been googling that term, but haven’t yet found pictures or descriptions of local species, so I haven’t narrowed it down. But the description sounds right!
Reggie, you can try contacting the spider club of SA and give them a link to your pictures. They have been great helping me out and are quick to reply.
Ohh! I didn’t even know there WAS such a club. I’ll check it out! Thank you, Slowvelder.
They have a most informative website here – http://www.spiderclub.co.za/ – thank you for the tip!