Help! Spider ID please
 

I've always liked spiders in my garden and in general, around here in
Chicago, we don't have any of the poisonous types although that's not
quite 100% true. This year there's this spider that seems very
aggressive. It spins its web fast and they're big and they span aisles
were I have to walk! A couple of days ago I step out the door to water
and run right into its massive web which covered me and got in my mouth.
I look down and the damn spider was coming at me like I was its prey.
Needless to say I totally freaked out trying to get the web off me,
frantically brushing away the spider to keep it from crawling on me.

Today/tonight I sat and watched this thing spin another web and decided
to get my camera and take a shot. After taking a few flash shots of it
she kind of stood up on her hind legs taunting me (at least it seemed
like that). I still have to go and water that part of the garden so in
an hour or so I'm going in with a water canon to disperse the situation.

Anyway, here's a pic of the spider.

http://brandylion.com/images/spider.jpg

That's the best picture I could get since it was night and I was using a
flash and it is difficult for me to get close ups under these situations
with my current digital camera. The spider looks tan with some
blotches on it and I have absolutely no idea what kind this is or if it
is poisonous but I'd really like to know. Although I respect spiders
and never kill them in the house because I like that they eat bugs, I'm
kind of an arachnophobe in reality. House spiders usually stay out of
sight and never bother me or make it known that they're around. This
spider is getting in my face and it seems like its treating me like
prey.

BTW: The background of that shot is what I call the catnip corner of my
garden.

Mark Anderson wrote in
.net:

I've always liked spiders in my garden and in general, around here in
Chicago, we don't have any of the poisonous types although that's not
quite 100% true. This year there's this spider that seems very
aggressive. It spins its web fast and they're big and they span
aisles were I have to walk! A couple of days ago I step out the
door to water and run right into its massive web which covered me and
got in my mouth. I look down and the damn spider was coming at me
like I was its prey. Needless to say I totally freaked out trying to
get the web off me, frantically brushing away the spider to keep it
from crawling on me.

Today/tonight I sat and watched this thing spin another web and
decided to get my camera and take a shot. After taking a few flash
shots of it she kind of stood up on her hind legs taunting me (at
least it seemed like that). I still have to go and water that part of
the garden so in an hour or so I'm going in with a water canon to
disperse the situation.

Anyway, here's a pic of the spider.

http://brandylion.com/images/spider.jpg


It's pretty hard to tell anything from the photo, and I'm no expert.
However, I did want to say that there are plenty of websites where you
can look at photos, and compare what you've seen in your garden. I've
found this site useful when trying to get a rough idea of the identity of
spiders in my garden - http://www.spiderzrule.com/

If it's a sizeable spider, and large, tough, web, it could be an orb
weaver of some sort. It looks like it has striped legs, and I've seen
quite a few photos on the above site of Argiopes and other orb weavers
with striped legs.

Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia

Mark Anderson wrote in
.net:

http://brandylion.com/images/spider.jpg

Hard to say from the angle at which the photo was taken, however it appears
to be a variety of orb weaver. He's more scared of you than you are of him,
trust me.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

"David Bockman" wrote in message
9.11...
Mark Anderson wrote in
.net:

http://brandylion.com/images/spider.jpg

Hard to say from the angle at which the photo was taken, however it
appears
to be a variety of orb weaver. He's more scared of you than you are of
him,
trust me.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

If it has some yellow on it, as it appears to do, I think it is what we down
in south Texas call a banana spider. Harmless as aw git out. They do get
quite large and scary looking though.


--
Make it just one gnat to email.

J.C.

Rhonda Anderson expounded:

I've
found this site useful when trying to get a rough idea of the identity of
spiders in my garden - http://www.spiderzrule.com/

Awesome site, thanx for posting it!
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:36:09 -0500, Mark Anderson
wrote:

Anyway, here's a pic of the spider.

http://brandylion.com/images/spider.jpg

Look for "writing spider". There is a blotch of white in your
picture that looks like the written message found on their web.

I consider myself fortunate when I find one and sometimes they leave
their web up long enough I'm able to get a picture in the morning
light.

Regards,

Hal

In article says...
If it's a sizeable spider, and large, tough, web, it could be an orb
weaver of some sort. It looks like it has striped legs, and I've seen
quite a few photos on the above site of Argiopes and other orb weavers
with striped legs.

I'll assume its an orb spider and stay clear of it. It is rather
industrious. Yesterday it spun another web in almost the same spot. I
accidently damaged part of it and the poor spider was quick to repair
the damage and get back to business. I'm going to let it set up shop
and have that part of the garden from now on from 11pm till the next
morning. I have another closeup shot of its back.

http://www.brandylion.com/images/spider2.jpg

In article says...
Look for "writing spider". There is a blotch of white in your
picture that looks like the written message found on their web.

I consider myself fortunate when I find one and sometimes they leave
their web up long enough I'm able to get a picture in the morning
light.

This one doesn't seem to stay around until morning. Closeup shots using
flash with my digital camera are very difficult. I used manual focus
and tried the best plus I was a little jittery getting so close to it.

In article ,
says...
:) In article says...
:) If it's a sizeable spider, and large, tough, web, it could be an orb
:) weaver of some sort. It looks like it has striped legs, and I've seen
:) quite a few photos on the above site of Argiopes and other orb weavers
:) with striped legs.
:)
:) I'll assume its an orb spider and stay clear of it. It is rather
:) industrious. Yesterday it spun another web in almost the same spot. I
:) accidently damaged part of it and the poor spider was quick to repair
:) the damage and get back to business. I'm going to let it set up shop
:) and have that part of the garden from now on from 11pm till the next
:) morning. I have another closeup shot of its back.
:)
:) http://www.brandylion.com/images/spider2.jpg
:)
It is a garden orb weaver. They will take down all but a couple of main
strands of the web then rebuild each night. Follow the strands and you
can find where the spider is held up during the day.

--
Lar

to email....get rid of the BUGS