Let's play, "Name this spider"

[Disney*Dreamer]

Seriously, I saw this beauty in my back yard, on the kids swing set, while I was mowing (notice the grass all over his web). I ran in and grabed the camera, I ended up seeing another one on the other side of the house before I was done. He was huge, and beautiful, any idea what he is? I tried to get back out today with the macro, but he was gone.

Here is a pic of his front and one from behind.

 

[crazydadguy]

I dont know about you, to me it looks like a "Bob" or maybe even a "Steve". Not for sure though...

But Seriously, I found this:

very common spider, especially conspicuous in late summer and fall because of its large size (body an inch long) and its tendency to construct webs in open places easy to see. This is the Garden Spider, sometimes known as the Black-and-yellow Argiope, Argiope aurantia. More than one kid has caught a grasshopper and tossed it into this species' web to watch the big spider quickly wrap the grasshopper in a mummy-like cocoon of silk, then bite through the cocoon and begin sucking out the poor grasshopper's juices. One special feature about this species' web is that in the center there's a bright, vertical stripe of zigzagging silk, as shown in the picture. Notice that argiopes hang head-down in their web's center.

 

[shancan911]

I'll play! I had I think the same spider at our old house, this is the name I found on him(had to find it in a scrapbook. Yes, I scrapbooked a spider Argiope aurantia. Google him. Isn't the web the coolest!

 

[loopner67]

I have no clue what he is, but your pictures are fantastic!

 

[AndrewWG]

I actually think that "he" is a "she". If she moved, go find her. She won't go very far to set up another web. We have had one in our garden all summer. They are really cool looking, but I wouldn't exactly go play with it. She has moved her web a couple times this summer.

 

[Spinning]

kewl picture! One year we had a ton of them! They loved my sweet peas! They were all over the bank! Never saw them again after that summer! Now we just have the big yucky brown ones, wolf spiders I think!

 

[MHolleman]

Hope it is okay to post this here. This is one I got today on my front porch. Very interesting and huge.

I believe this is a barn spider (like from Charlotte's Web). Really cool to look at none the less.

 

[MHolleman]

I also have this one. I know what it is, but anyone care to take a guess?

 

[We-Luv-Disney]

Umm...yeah, that's the please smash or spray with poison spider....creepy bugger

I also have this one. I know what it is, but anyone care to take a guess?

 

[AndrewWG]

I also have this one. I know what it is, but anyone care to take a guess?

That almost looks like a black widow to me, but I'm not too sure.

 

[AndrewWG]

Here is my garden baby.

And a close up crop of that pic:

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

I like Bob.

Cool pics! I love that barn spider, the thought that it may be the same as the one on Charolette's Web is fasinating, I love that movie.

And thanks for identifying my spider. I looked for him yesterday, all over the swing set, but didn't see him, or her, anywhere. Hope she is back out there later today, it is raining now, but hopefully it will dry up later. The other one on the other side of the house wasn't on a web, it was on the brick. Hope to see some more of these, they are fantastic.

If I see him again, I am definantly finding my son a grasshopper so that I, I mean he, ahem, can watch it eat it.

Speaking of black widows, I found this under my dog's dish earlier this summer. We have all kinds of baby one's in the crawl space under the house. Well, we did, the bug guy was supposed to take care of that.

 

[Tuffcookie]

You guys are alot braver than me!

TC

 

[hjd0411]

I also have this one. I know what it is, but anyone care to take a guess?

Uuggghhhh!!!

Here in Australia we would call him/her a Redback spider (we are original down under, I'll grant you that!!!! ) I have had loads of them around my place particularly as the weather warms up. I also call in the exterminator once a year to make sure the ones I see are not too healthy!! (Sorry to those who like spiders - we have far to many venomous ones here and I have a very healthy respect for them!!)

 

[Donold_Fan]

Speaking of black widows, I found this under my dog's dish earlier this summer. We have all kinds of baby one's in the crawl space under the house. Well, we did, the bug guy was supposed to take care of that.

Hokey Smokes!!! I'm a spider person, won't intentionally kill one and had a pet tarantula for 16 years. But if one of these ever appeared (or a brown recluse) not only would I immediately call the Orkin man, but I think I'd call the realtor too.

 

[MHolleman]

This is the black widow as you guys have guessed. I wasn't sure about the markings on this one initially b/c they were not an hourglass shape, however after doing some reseach I found out they can have different patterns. Even saw one with a heart on the internet. Love the pics also. I don't care for spiders, but I am not scared of them either. I am on the lookout for a great web picture myself

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

Hokey Smokes!!! I'm a spider person, won't intentionally kill one and had a pet tarantula for 16 years. But if one of these ever appeared (or a brown recluse) not only would I immediately call the Orkin man, but I think I'd call the realtor too.

Oh, my son, who is 6, has wanted a tarantula since he was 3. A Rose haired one to be specific.

We have brown recluses here too, but you rarely see one. We have an underground spring in our back yard, and that part of the yard stays pretty moist, which causes a lot of mosquitos (I am more afraid of them than spiders), anyway, when you mow back there you see a lot of brown recluses and a buch of other spiders, running for their lives, haha.

 

[crazydadguy]

Hey DisneyDreamer, I like your sig. I think I will try a pano next time I am there.

 

[Gdad]

I hate spiders- but here is another one anyway.

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

Hey DisneyDreamer, I like your sig. I think I will try a pano next time I am there.

If you try one like that, the only suggestion that I have is hold your camera sideways to get a taller pano, I like mine, but it cut off the tops of some roofs. Also, I wish I had stood in a better place so that some of the trees weren't cutting off the emporium. I stood in the center of the trian station, upstairs, not down on the ground.


GDad, That is amazing, I have no idea what it is, but it is very clear. But then, all of your pictures that I have seen are amazing.