"The Ranger" wrote in message
...
[Posted separately to ba.garden, too. -- TR]

I was out during an unusually warm evening attempting to reduce the
number of pests through direct conflict that generally feast on my
Good move!

....
beetles when I ducked my head into a heavy silken thread stretched the
six feet from my persimmon tree to one of my cars.

This type of steel-cabling has usually been a good indicator of a black
widow's presence. But the Shelob that greeted me from the middle of her
tram was not black nor did she have the tell-tale hourglass in the
abdomen. This Behemoth was orange and gray! It had a bulbous body like a
blacky but wasn't aggressive.
Well, from that description it's hard to tell. However, the good news is
that the Black Widow doesn't (usually) weaver her web outdoors. She's very
shy and retiring, and is usually found in dark, warm, hidden
places--woodpiles, for instance. She also doesn't make that much of a web.

Not knowing where you are, my guess is that what you found was probably one
of the orb weavers. While they certainly look threatening, they're harmless
(unless you have a distinct "look & feel" like a small bug...(:-o)!).

I've just read an article in Discover Magazine on spiders in the US and
immediately thought of the hobo spider. Has anyone else run across this
spider or can you provide any other information on it?
Well, the Hobo Spider is a member of the funnel web clan (IIRC). So no, it
would have a ground based web not a large aerial one. That and the
coloration you'd described is wrong.

The "Arachnophobic" Ranger

PS: She was FAST! Before I finished staring at her, she was back in the
persimmon tree and gone for the night.
Good for her! This way she'll be around to help you eliminate those other
pesky things that like your garden as much as you do...(:-o)!


L8r all,
Dusty