Cellar Spider vs. Silverfish

Or Pholcidae vs. Zygentoma, depending on how you want to look at it.

I spotted this when I was supposed to be making cornbread. The silverfish came out bucking with a very determined spider clinging to its back. The battle in the open didn't last long as the silverfish was very quickly paralyzed. It took the spider a lot longer to pull it up into a temporary web behind the soap dish, though. I think that was partly because I kept changing the light trying to take pictures, so the spider was being cautious about retreating and running forward.

Eventually, however, both were tucked safely behind the dish and under the counter ledge, where I trust the spider got to enjoy a leisurely meal before someone moved the dish.

The cornbread? Yeah, I got it made. Turned out well, too.

Neoscona oaxacensis in Huntington Beach Central Park

Yay! It's the spider time of year again! The park is just full of the big ones now. Today was fairly cloudy, so they were hanging out in plain sight well into the day. At least, I'm assuming that the light level had something to do with it. The Neoscona don't, on the whole, seem to be a particularly shy bunch.

As usual, I owe thanks to the awesome people at bugguide for the identification of the spider as a Neoscona oaxacensis aka the Western Spotted Orb Weaver. It's an utterly harmless sort, related to all the crucifera hanging out in my yard last year (This year, too, I think, though I have to take a closer look at the one by the gate some time when I'm not trying to figure out how to get out without breaking the web (I did end up breaking it yesterday, I confess. I may just have to move him/her if she doesn't start weaving a bit higher up)).

Anyway, back to the oaxacensis.  It is a much showier beastie than  the Neoscona crucifera. The crucifera are all pale golds and tans. This one if flaunting its colors. Just look at all those spots! And the orange and yellow stripes on the legs.

Spider and Sliverfish

For some reason someone cleared this away shortly after I saw it.

I suppose it is kind of odd to let spiders lair behind the kitchen faucet.

But look at her. Isn't she a wonder? I think she may be one of the tiny ones I spotted earlier this year, too. Born and bred at hom!

Spider in the Park

It's fall and the spiders have gotten big enough to photograph again. They're also building bigger webs, often right in the path.

This neoscona crucifera (at least, that's my guess. I also have a question out, as per the usual!) was actually fairly sensible about working to the side of the path. It was the crazy photographer who slogged through the mud for a look.

Isn't he a handsome arachnid?

Wolf Spider in Huntington Beach Central Park

The grass in Huntington Beach Central Park was full of bugs. Hundreds and hundreds of bugs flying and running everywhere, with a seemingly never-ending flow of these spiders (I'm pretty sure wolf spiders) hunting through the grass and running across the edges of Talbert Lake after them.

Wolf Spider (aka The Wonderful Water-Walking Spider)

I spent quite a while watching this spider sprint across short stretches of water. I was very impressed, and asked on bugguide what sort it was.

A wolf spider.

Really? Ok, yeah, it does look a little bit like the one I saw earlier, a lot like it in fact, but I didn't know that wolf spiders could walk on water. I expressed my surprise.

Oh, came the casual reply. "Just about any spider can run over water."

And I never knew. It's amazing the amount of things one can go through life without noticing.

Phlocidae Mother and Babies

I went to reach for a nursery flat for some of my little plants and saw these. Aren't they lovely?

A close up of one of the babies. Looking at the first photograph, it looks like there's some little exoskeletons down there, so they're not even in their first growth.

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And a close-up of the mother. I was hoping she'd do a profile turn for me, but she was more interested in trying to shuffle for the corner.

It's too bad I probably tore the web when I pulled the frame out & left some babies fending for themselves. I tucked these back behind the shed again when I'd finished photographing them. I can wait for the frame.

I've seen lots of other spiders lately while gardening, but it's been all messy gardening with lots of water and mud, the sort you don't take cameras out for.

Funnel Web Spiders

Some old pictures from the fall. I'm not really sure why they didn't publish then.

Badumna longinqua AKA Lace Web Spider

I noticed these because of their webs which were a shape I had not noticed before, a sort of loose lace-like weave spread out over the cacti at the Sherman Gardens.


Naturally, I asked at bugguide.net, and they were quickly identified as Badumna longinqua, also known as Spotted Spiders, and ALSO known as Lace Web Spiders.  They're imports from Australia, it seems, and nasty, though non-lethal, biters.

Largest Fossil Spider Found!

I'll put a permalink up if I can find it, but today's Yahoo news included information on a large fossil spider. It would be even more fascinating if the spider were supersized, but it's only about as big as today's biggest spiders (big enough to be enormous, but not horror-movie fare).

Oh, and, yes, I have a new pic or two to post soon.