I encountered this Black Widow spider a few days ago while volunteering at Accokeek Foundation's EcoSystem Farm in southern Prince George's County, MD. A group of us found out that turning over the farms large compost pile was an adventure in survival. This Black Widow had many sisters. I'm not generally afraid of spiders and gladly share my living space with any that will consume mosquitos and other unwanted insects. However, I was only too glad to be quickly done with that chore and to be able to breathe easy that none of us was bitten. If you ever meet one of these ladies face-to-face, you won't forget it. Impossibly large, shiny and bold, she is glamorous, mesmerizing, and truly frightening.
I posted a couple weeks back about my Charlotte spider (who has finally died). Watching her movements has I THOUGHT made me less scared of spiders. I don't know about this black widow though...if it's as big as it looks in this photo...
ReplyDeleteWendy - the body of this spider was the size of my thumbnail. She gave me more than a little pause...
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