Just a word of caution...the snakes are still out. Hubby found (and killed) a
copperhead this mornnig on the driveway. With leaves falling, a copperhead
could be hard to see and accidentally stepped on. Even though they are
lethargic with the cooler temps, they are still out and about. Watch your step!

Marcy Hege wrote:
Just a word of caution...the snakes are still out. Hubby found (and killed) a
copperhead this mornnig on the driveway. With leaves falling, a copperhead
could be hard to see and accidentally stepped on. Even though they are
lethargic with the cooler temps, they are still out and about. Watch your step!

Please, please, please before killing a snake in the triangle area, make
sure it is a venomous snake. Of all the snakes that I have looked at
(after people have killed them) I have yet to find it to be what they
thought it was. Most often, it is some kind of water snake which look a
lot like cottonmouths but are non-venomous. Snakes are useful creatures
and it's sad to see them killed indiscriminately.

I know a lot of people are phobic about snakes. However, this can be
conquered. I know because I was phobic about spiders. Scream and
freeze in horror until someone came to smash it (it might jump on me was
my concern about getting close enough to kill it!) was my normal reaction.

I still don't like them and they give me the shivers if I think too long
about it but I can now scoop up small ones I find in the house on a
piece of paper and relocate them outdoors instead of demanding that they
be killed. Outside, I just tend to avoid them and actually co-existed
with a large black, yellow and white orb weaver spider in my rose bush
and even kept the s.o. from killing it at one point this fall.

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

... a large black, yellow and white orb weaver spider ...

This was probably a Yellow Argiope, commonly found in gardens.
They are "good guys."

http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/youth/bug/bug163.html

Daniel B. Martin

In m "Daniel B. Martin" writes:

... a large black, yellow and white orb weaver spider ...

This was probably a Yellow Argiope, commonly found in gardens.
They are "good guys."

http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/youth/bug/bug163.html

I recently saw an enormous spider in my back yard (nearly shook hands with
it while I was clearing a vine) that was "large black, yellow and white"
but not the one Daniel has linked to.

Including the legs, it had to be at least 2x3 inches big, with what I
guess you'd call a classic spider body -- small head portion, rounded
body. It was primarily black with very vivid yellow stripes and white
accents.

It was clinging to the pipes that feed the utility lines to the meters on
the house, and didn't appear to have constructed a web there so I can't
describe its web.

I'm not wild about bugs but dang, it was pretty. Anybody have any idea
what it was?

Thanks

MAL


--

Including the legs, it had to be at least 2x3 inches big,
with what I guess you'd call a classic spider body --
small head portion, rounded body. It was primarily black
with very vivid yellow stripes and white accents.

This description fits the biggest Yellow Argiopes I've seen in my own yard.
Females are larger than males.

Here is another URL. This one has excellent, large-scale pictures.
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL...ack_and_yellow
_argiope.htm


The last picture at that site shows Argiope's characteristic zig-zag
signature in the middle of the web and her characteristic head-down posture.


Daniel B. Martin

In m "Daniel B. Martin" writes:
This description fits the biggest Yellow Argiopes I've seen in my own yard.
Females are larger than males.

Here is another URL. This one has excellent, large-scale pictures.
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL...ack_and_yellow
_argiope.htm


Ah, that does look like what I saw (as I leapt away, hollering). Glad to
know she's eating some mosquitos and flies. I guess we can add "utility
box pipes" to her habitat.

MAL

--

Susan, a copperhead is a copperhead
(http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests...copperhead.htm) and we had a
copperhead in the drievway this morning.
Even though I don't care for any kind of snake, I will leave black snakes, worm
snakes, garter snakes, corn snakes, etc. in my yard to go about their merry
business. However, I draw the line at the copperhead. Spent a couple of hundred
dollars a few years ago when my 6-month old dog thought a copperhead was a
"wiggle stick" and wound up with a swollen neck/breathing problems from the
bite. We live near a creek with lots of woods, rock and undergrowth so we find
about one copperhead each year on the property.I'm sure there are more but I'm
not out hunting for them. Just wanted folks to be aware that just because the
weather is cooler, the snakes are still out and about.

Marcy

"Margaret Lillard" wrote in message
...
I recently saw an enormous spider in my back yard (nearly shook hands with
it while I was clearing a vine) that was "large black, yellow and white"
but not the one Daniel has linked to.

Including the legs, it had to be at least 2x3 inches big, with what I
guess you'd call a classic spider body -- small head portion, rounded
body. It was primarily black with very vivid yellow stripes and white
accents.

'Round here we call 'em stitching or quilting spiders because of the way
they "stitch" a strong white zig zag in their webs.

Daniel B. Martin wrote:

This description fits the biggest Yellow Argiopes I've seen in my own yard.
Females are larger than males.

Here is another URL. This one has excellent, large-scale pictures.
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL...ack_and_yellow
_argiope.htm

Thanks for the link Daniel! I kind of figured that "paper balloon" was
an egg sac. I actually found a second one in my rose bush yesterday.
Funny, of four rose bushes side by side, they seemed to have a definite
preference for one. *grin*

Susan
shsimko at duke dot edu

Susan H. Simko wrote:


lot like cottonmouths but are non-venomous. Snakes are useful creatures
and it's sad to see them killed indiscriminately.

What she said, plus....

I still don't like them and they give me the shivers if I think too long
about it but I can now scoop up small ones I find in the house on a
piece of paper and relocate them outdoors instead of demanding that they
be killed.

I brought in my tropicals about a week ago, and I'm still finding
slugs crawling out from them. Ick. And as disgusting as they are, I take
'em outside and let them go--despite the fact that one of them decided
one of my orchids getting ready to bloom was particularly tasty.

But double ick to touching them!

cl

This description fits the biggest Yellow Argiopes I've seen in my own yard.
Females are larger than males.

Here is another URL. This one has excellent, large-scale pictures.
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordL...ack_and_yellow
_argiope.htm


The last picture at that site shows Argiope's characteristic zig-zag
signature in the middle of the web and her characteristic head-down posture.
Daniel B. Martin

Oddly enough, I didn't see any of these this year. There are usually
a few in my veggie garden. But I am seeing many of the Marbled Orb
Weavers around. They are building beautiful webs outside most my
windows. They don't have any white, but are colorful
black/yellow/red, and have a big heavy round body, and shorter legs
than the argioipe.
I have developed a real fondness for them.
Kira