US: Washington DC suburbs - scary-looking orbweaver spider photos and a happy tree chaser

[untonuggan]

Hello! I just moved to a new place within the Washington DC Metro area, and my new place is a lot more nature-filled than the other one. This is exciting! More trees to play in! Walking paths!

Also, hello, lots and lots of spiders. I'm a big fan of the butterflies, but I could have...no, I guess ultimately I couldn't have lived without the spiders.


But I was a little freaked out to encounter this guy (and it is a guy) until my partner did Srs Internet Rsrch and found out he is mostly harmless. As in, I probably don't have to worry unless I am an actual insect or I piss him off. He is apparently a Marbled Orb Weaver. ETA: When I was in the midst of freaking out I emailed the state cooperative extension for help IDing the spider, and they finally got back to me to let me know that he is a "Black and Yellow Argiope spider" and that "some people may have a reaction when bitten" (read: don't sue us). Also, apparently they are good hunters. Basically, he's a HUGE garden spider.


Image of a spider the size of a quarter that is red and green with black and white striped legs on a web hanging from my house's gutters.


Another image of the same spider, here there is a clearer view of the way the spider appears to mimic a nice juicy flower while hanging in its web, waiting for prey to be caught.


Okay, enough of those scary but kind of awesome 8-legged creatures, here is a chaser photo I took this morning of some of the neighborhood trees with the early morning light hitting them:

Dead (or is it only mostly dead?) cedar tree illuminated by morning light in foreground, in background some slightly blurry deciduous trees whose leaves are just beginning to have a few red and brown autumn leaves

Comments

[untonuggan]

Indeed, they are great! Do not want to diss extension people! But perhaps, in this case, a bit busy or something.