This is the time of year when Giant Wood Spiders appear to hang huge in the air, pendant on gossamer strands of silk, waiting for unwary prey.

here

is the entry on the spiders, which are all called “Golden Silk Orb-Weavers” (ha, how I would like to have someone at home weaving golden silk for me!)…and I have noticed (and Rajneesh corraborated) two varieties, one with the yellow-and-black markings on her thorax, and the other one with red legs.

Why did I say “her”? Because the Giants referred to in the name are always the females…they are often surrounded, on their webs, by small males. (Do the females also eat the males like the Black Widow spiders do? I suppose not, as otherwise they would then be called the Giant Widow Spiders instead!)

Here’s one example of the Yellow-Marked Giant Wood Spider:

You can see her “developing her website” with a male near her:

Here are a trio of them, executing a sky ballet:

Here’s the red-legged Giant Spider:

And here it is with, with its tiny mate:

These spiders are so beautiful, and can be found everywhere at this time of year.

and here are my other pics from yesterday…

click here