I’m…well, I don’t like spiders. I just don’t. No spider has ever done anything to harm me. But that doesn’t keep me from being afraid of them. In fact, most spiders are harmless, mostly beneficial, and totally cool to watch – from a distance. They’re amazing creatures.
That being said, while a spider may not hurt me they will surely make me hurt myself! When The Brit and I were looking at this house he found a big, furry, brown one and picked it up. He looked at it a while and when we were ready to leave I told him to get rid of the thing. He thought he did.
When we got in the car he felt something on his leg and brushed it away. The big, furry, brown spider. He said he thought it went into my purse pocketbook handbag. I thought he was pulling my leg.
A few days later I was driving along, The Brit in the passenger’s seat, just gabbing away about something. He said, very sweetly, “Pay attention to where you’re going. Keep your eyes on the road.” I kept looking forward and he lovingly rubbed my shoulder. He slowly pulled his hand back, opened the window, and put his hand out. Then he says, “Remember that spider I brushed off in here. I just took him off your shoulder and put him out the window.”
It’s a good thing he saw the spider and I did not. I would have wrecked and killed us both! Then it occurred to me that I had been driving around with that thing in the car with me. For days. *shudder*
So we’ve now purchased the house. We’ve been living here for a little over a year. The other day we were walking around outside talking over a few plans for the garden, mostly daydreaming, when The Brit pointed to the sliding glass door we never use and said, “What the hell?”
This is what the hell:
What the hell, indeed! This thing is huge! And it’s also deposited these:
Anybody want to buy a house? I think I’m ready to move. Seriously, can anyone identify it? Did anyone lose a pet?
September 28, 2014 at 9:12 am
Oh heavens. I’m a huge arachnophobe. I have a strange fascination with spiders at the same time, but from a very long distance.
That car story is my nightmare!
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September 28, 2014 at 9:27 am
I’m still shuddering. Totally freaked me out!
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September 28, 2014 at 9:19 am
http://www.texasento.net/Argiope.htm
I love these spiders. They are harmless and make the coolest webs. I have pictures I took of one that was on my deck for two summers in a row. That’s a female. They are much larger than males.
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September 28, 2014 at 9:25 am
Love?!? Love?!!!? That’s a strong word.
I did just find it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia
It says it’s seemingly harmless to humans. Yeah, right. What about humans harming themselves upon the sight of this thing?
Actually, I’m not quite as afraid of them as I used to be. This on is still alive. It’s beautiful and has made quite an intricate web.
They also bounce.
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September 28, 2014 at 9:24 am
I was leaning over a railway bridge at night in outer Sydney (we were going camping). It’s ok he said. A huge spider just ran under your hand but it’s gone now.
I’m surprised I slept that night.
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September 28, 2014 at 9:27 am
Camping? Oi vey! Nope, there would have been no sleep for me!
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September 28, 2014 at 9:34 am
Here are two pics of the female that made its home on my deck a few summers back.
In the second image, I sprayed water on her web. When it was scorching hot, I would mist her, and she seemed to like it. Didn’t try to hide. They will hide if they feel threatened.
Yeah, perhaps “love” is a strong word. I think they are beautiful, and again, they just want to be left alone, but most people will kill them because they look threatening.
I have been planning on doing a post using them as an analogy regarding believers views of unbelievers. Assuming we are threatening and harmful. “Smash em”.
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September 28, 2014 at 3:48 pm
Gorgeous photos, Victoria. They really are beautiful and amazing to watch. I’ll just keep my distance and let her have her space.
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September 28, 2014 at 9:39 am
Taken under her web.
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September 28, 2014 at 10:14 am
I enjoyed looking at the pictures of these colorful spiders on this post. I would not enjoy encountering such a creature in the real world, though. I’m not a fan of spiders, although when I do find them in my abode, I try to catch them, rather than crush them, and then put them outside into what should be their natural habitat (rather than inside my residence).
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September 28, 2014 at 3:49 pm
I used to smash em, but The Brit has made me more conscious of their benefits and, well…he just can’t bring himself to kill something that he doesn’t think will hurt him. So I’ve learned to catch them in a cup and take them outside. I still don’t really like to be up close and personal with them. 😀
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September 28, 2014 at 11:02 am
They’re scary
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September 28, 2014 at 4:05 pm
Very!
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September 28, 2014 at 11:05 am
Beautiful creatures. However, I understand your reaction; my wife would probably insist on renting a hotel room until I had appropriately disposed of it. Which would entail driving its mutilated remains five miles into the countryside, swinging it around my head five or six times, and then taking a circuitous route home…just in case.
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September 28, 2014 at 4:06 pm
Well, I’m not quite that bad. I’ll just keep a safe distance.
I used to be that terrified of them, though. Until I learned a bit about them. My rational mind says their harmless, but fear is seldom rational.
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September 28, 2014 at 11:10 am
Oooh – your spider is so pretty! I usually just get big drab barn spiders on my deck. I actually really like spiders, especially the fuzzy jumping spiders with their big eyes. And tiny peacock spiders doing their mating dance? Squee!
What creeps me out is when I’m walking along and run face-first into a spider web. Eurrgh.
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September 28, 2014 at 4:08 pm
She is a stunner. I wish it hadn’t been so grey outside when I was trying to take the photo.
It’ creeping me out just thinking about spider webs across my arms and face.
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September 28, 2014 at 11:21 am
Spiders don’t scare me much, any crawling insect does.
And those look quite pretty, they will not harm you. You could make friends with them 😀
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September 28, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Spiders crawl.
This one is beautiful. Friends? Sure, I’ll invite her in for Irish Beef Stew tonight. 😀
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September 29, 2014 at 8:59 am
Well, here I have millipedes and centipedes in mind. Spiders don’t bother me so.
Having a beer fest with spiders, Ruth, that you know is funny.
Have a great week
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September 28, 2014 at 12:29 pm
It’s a Black and Yellow Argiope. Yikes!
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/black_and_yellow_argiope.htm
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September 28, 2014 at 4:10 pm
They are supposedly to be harmless to humans. Supposedly….
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September 28, 2014 at 4:11 pm
Oh, and that link says that the females grow up to 1.75″ in length. This one looks a good bit bigger than that.
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September 28, 2014 at 1:58 pm
It’s a Saint Andrews Cross. We have them in Australia, too… and i’ve walked through far too many of their webs.
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September 28, 2014 at 4:12 pm
*shudder* Creepy spider webs. Cool to look at. Chill inducing to walk through. Makes you feel like you’ve got things crawling on you
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September 28, 2014 at 4:13 pm
I have to admit, I’m not a fan of them, either. You’re in a hot climate, so you know: spiders can big, fast, and nasty-scary.
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September 28, 2014 at 3:29 pm
Ruth, it is the fear of the unknown that causes us to pee ourselves at the sight of these creatures.
Rain spiders come inside the house and they are big – some as my hand – and before i learned about them I was poop scared as well.
Now …. I regard them as resident mosquito killers.
I am very wary of widows, which we encounter from time to time.
But I generally abide by a live and let live policy.
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September 28, 2014 at 4:14 pm
At my previous address I had loads of black widow spiders. I couldn’t seem to get rid of them.
Having learned a bit about the spiders indigenous to this area I’m less afraid. But I still don’t want one on me. Live and let live is fine as long as they’re outside and I can keep a safe distance.
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September 28, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Probably the soundest policy.
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September 28, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Fascinating that so many people can comment on SPIDERS! 🙂
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October 1, 2014 at 11:38 am
So true, Nan! Who’d have thought?
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September 28, 2014 at 7:08 pm
Eck… Those spiders are huge… But just a digression, maybe in order to abate the fear… Spiders might be also a high protein dish!…Fried spider is a regional delicacy in Cambodia. Bottom line: They can’t be that bad if they taste well!. Cheers & best wishes Aquileana 😀
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September 28, 2014 at 7:15 pm
Oh Jebus. I’d have to be starving to death before I’d eat fried spiders.
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September 28, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Right?
A delicacy? Perhaps they are tasty treats but I’ll.never.know.
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September 28, 2014 at 7:16 pm
Nor I. 😀
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September 28, 2014 at 7:22 pm
Exactly… Me too!…
Inference >Cambodians are probably starving to death!.
Aquileana 😛
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September 28, 2014 at 7:23 pm
When you’re hungry enough I guess you’ll eat anything. But as long as there is a blade of grass I won’t know what spider tastes like. :p
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September 29, 2014 at 10:42 am
Apparently eating creepy crawlies is becoming all the rage:
https://www.yahoo.com/health/are-bug-bars-the-new-protein-bars-the-nutritional-98237685922.html
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September 28, 2014 at 8:01 pm
Those things sure can be stubborn buggers. Especially that itsy bitsy one that keeps going up the waterspout.
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September 28, 2014 at 8:07 pm
LOL Howie. I want what you’re smoking.
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September 28, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Endorphins and oxytocin do a great job – no need for the smokes. 🙂
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September 28, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Hahaha
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September 28, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Not even the rain can discourage that little bugger!
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October 1, 2014 at 11:14 am
It has been found that cross-culturally most people have a natural fear of spiders and snakes from early in their life. Evolutionary Psychology that this fear is actually at the genetic level having evolved in Africa where there are the largest percentage of poisonous snakes and spiders. I don’t know if that’s true, but it is interesting.
I had a similar fear to wasps and hornets. I guess I still do, but it used to be really bad. Like you, if one was in the car, I’d probably wreck the car. My wife said, that’s not a fear, that’s a phobia. You can’t get into an accident just because you might get stung by a wasp. That’s not healthy, and I love you and want you to be around. When she said that I knew that I better learn how to at least get to the point where I can calmly pull over somewhere and then scream as I flee the vehicle. 🙂 I am definitely at that point now, I’m happy to say. Mostly it has to do with how calm my wife is around them, and didn’t want to look like too big of a wuss. lol
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October 1, 2014 at 11:44 am
Interesting…
We’ll go with that. It’s in my genes for spiders to scare the bajeesus out of me!
The Brit also has a bit of a phobia about wasps and stinging things. It stems from a childhood incident, I think. He’s terrified of them! Snakes? Spiders? Not a problem! He seems especially inquisitive about snakes. This photo was captured in our back garden:
https://gulliblestravelsdma.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/sneakysnake.jpg?w=529
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October 1, 2014 at 11:50 am
Haha…very cool photo!
I mean I think it’s healthy to be scared of species that could potentially kill you, are small, and can hurt you relatively unseen even. Even in Africa most spiders and snakes are not deadly, but when you live in the wild you don’t take chances, and so I think it does make sense that there is a mammalian part of our brain that still thinks it’s in the wild and has to make sure it doesn’t get bitten! 🙂
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October 2, 2014 at 10:18 am
Your experience with the spider gave me the chills and brought back a bad memory. When we first moved into our house in South Carolina i was out spraying weeds and came across two spiders much like yours in a bush. I decided I could sacrifice a shrub and drowned them in weed killer. Living in the South you may decide pesticides are your friends. They have certainly made my life better.
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October 8, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Looks like you’re going to have lots of baby spiders before long. 😯 Best warn your visitors.
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October 9, 2014 at 3:54 pm
Yikes! I know!!! I might not get any visitors for a while with those things around. My hubby better get ready to either move us or those things!
Thanks for stopping by and for the follow!
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October 9, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Good luck. 🙂
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