Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bright Lights, Big Spider

I first noticed the spider yesterday evening, sitting patiently on its web outside my window. I'm fascinated by spiders and very brave about looking at them up close when they're on the other side of a window. I wanted to photograph the creature but decided to wait until the bright light of morning.

When I opened the curtains today, though, the spider was nowhere to be seen. Not knowing much about spider habits, I thought it might have moved to one corner of its web, hidden from my view by the window frame. I went outside to take a look but couldn't find the spider anywhere.

Only when darkness began to fall did I see the giant arachnid back in the center of its impressive web, its outline clearly visible in the fading light, but its markings lost in the dimness. My only option if I wanted a picture was to try a little flash photography. Here is the result. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

3 comments:

  1. I know spiders serve a great purpose eating other bugs, etc, and I wish I could be a braver soul when it comes to giant spiders, but my instant reaction is SCREAM! SMASH! ~BONNIE

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  2. It certainly looks harmless, and quite beautiful when clinging on the screen - but please don't send the real thing over!

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  3. There was a little spider hanging over my lunch from a strand of web attached to the ceiling. My wife noticed it and commented. I moved over to another chair (the advantage of being empty nesters), but she took the spider on the placemat into the kitchen. I lost my train of thought... but luckily she reminded me.

    I heard a couple of days ago that when the Dalai Lama was in Austin he said that he could endure 4 consecutive mosquito bites, but that he would not spare the life of the 5th mosquito. So whatever our principles are, we have limits. I told my son I wouldn't visit him unless he got rid of the mice in his ceiling. That's my limit.

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