Monday, August 22, 2011

Garden Spiders

Ever since I happened to watch Kindgom of the Spiders when I was very small, I have loathed spiders.  Honestly, I have had nightmares about spiders ever since I saw that movie.  My fear of spiders is so great, I almost jumped out of a moving car one day when saw a huge spider crawling across the dashboard.  I'm sorry all of you who love spiders, but if you are a spider and in my house, you will be dead.  Not by my hand, of course, because I am not going anywhere near you.  I will just be silently screaming, frozen in fear, and pointing at you, until my husband or one of my cats kills you.  If I would have known how much cats love to eat spiders, I would have had cats a long time ago.  

So I bet you would be surprised to learn that I actually welcome garden spiders.  I have even taken a stick (a very long stick) and moved them out of my way.  Who couldn't like something that eats mosquitoes!  Garden Spiders have never charged at me, like some of those house spiders.  They are not plotting my demise, like those house spiders.  They have never tried to crawl into my bed, like some of those house spiders.  So if they leave me alone, I leave them alone.  I usually find them in my garden in late spring as tiny baby spiders, and don't notice them again until late summer/early fall when they are so big you can't miss them.  Ok, I will admit they still freak me out a little because they are everywhere....and I mean everywhere.  It's hard to walk into the garden without running into one of their webs, which are very strong.  After a while I do a mental inventory of where they are, and I try to avoid those areas.  I'm pretty sure if one of these spiders crawl on me I would die of fear, but for now I actually enjoy watching them (from a distance).
Black and Yellow Garden Spiders

European Garden Spiders


Stretch spider


5 comments:

Rohrerbot said...

Spiders creep me out, but I like them around.

Liza said...

We used to call those garden spiders "zipper spiders" because of their weird webs. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, it's been ages since I've seen one.

mrbrownthumb said...

I don't know why I'm visiting to comment on this since I know it is about spiders and they creep me out. But I guess I'm a glutton for punishment or maybe it's like those episodes of Maury where they make people confront what they're afraid of.

Anyway, those are some cool captures of spiders.

Gardens at Waters East said...

Have a few minutes tonight so I wanted to check on your postings and a couple of others. You would have "enjoyed" the conversation last night at one of the neighbors. Three of us who have homes along the lake got together and one of the conversations was all the spiders we have - not in the gardens - but in our homes. There are sooooooo many here at the lake. I find them in every room no matter how much I clean them up, yes and even in bed. That would make your day! Ah, the wonders of living close to water! Jack

Hosta Nerd said...

Hmmm, my dream was to get a lake house someday....may have to change my mind on that one! MBT, that is exactly what I am trying to do....confronting my fear. The biggest of the spiders is right outside our living room window. My husband and I were mesmerized by her tonight, as she caught, tied up, and ate one of those big fuzzy bumble bees.