Dusty Bleher wrote in message
...
[snip]
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.

Sorry about the lack of details there; I was quite happy standing my
minimum six feet away while I cleaned off her webbing. shudder Yeesh!

I've not had too much experience with widow's webs but those in my FILs
vineyards tend to be pretty complex, not Charlotte's Web material but
grand enough to net flies, honey bees, and meat-bees.

Not knowing where you are

California, Northern Prefecture of our fiefdom.

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)!).

Great... The thing was as big as a nickel when she was all scrunched up
tight! When she took off across the remaining strand, she easily gained
in sized to a quarter (although my daughter-units both say larger.) I
can understand a small bug's terror at seeing her coming.

shudder

I'll just water my persimmon from afar for a while. There's no need for
me to get much closer than -- oh -- twenty feet for a while.

The Ranger