I've watched her grow...outside my window.

[alphafemale]

Not an actual photo, but she looks just like this.

http://imgred.com/

She's grown from less than an inch across to nearly 2 1/2.

There were also two spiders at first. The first one was way over 3" across. The other layed two egg sacs and disappeared. I'm pretty sure she has died.

These spiders remind me of "Charlotte."

I'm not a big fan of spiders, generally.

But I've always liked these girls.

Their webs are works of art and they are beautiful.

And best of all...they more or less STAY PUT!

It's not like you have to worry about them crawling up your leg.

[Tyler Durden]

1. Truly, a thing of rare beauty.

The world gives us true art every day, doesn't it?

[alphafemale]

3. I do feel like I have been blessed.

They are beautiful.

[Tyler Durden]

5. You're never more than 10 feet from a spider....

True statement.

[alphafemale]

6. heh...Yeah. I had a tiny one crawl across the back of my fingers yesterday.

I caught it and put it outside.

Unless it's an ant or a fly or a flea or a cockroach or something deadly venomous.

I'm a catch and release person. Even for wasps and their kin. Which is a stretch for me because wasps really freaked me out for much of my life

[Richardo]

2. We've got one of those next to our A/C unit

It's been a bumper mosquito-crop year in SE Texas, she's very healthy-looking.

[alphafemale]

4. If she's fat at the "back end" she is probably full of eggs.

Watch for an egg sack...and a skinnier spider.

[alphafemale]

7. Shameless kick

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

8. SHAME!!11!

[jobycom]

9. Name her Scout.

(too obscure?)

[alphafemale]

10. The only Scout I'm thinking of is from "To Kill a Mockingird"

And I'm guessing that's not it.

[jobycom]

11. You're guessing wrong--that is it

The final chapter of the book has Scout jump on Boo Radley's porch, and realize what he has always seen from his house, and why he cared about the children. He watched her and her brother grow up, outside his window.

Damn that's a beautiful book.

[alphafemale]

14. Their webs are so beautiful, too

I'll probably move the egg sacs though.

A couple of spiders is one thing.

A couple hundred is another.

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. My dear alphafemale...

She is beautiful!

I don't much care for spiders either....but my husband says they're our friends, and I know he's right...

They eat many things we find disgusting...flies etc...

You're lucky to have such beauty nearby!

Thank you for sharing her with us...

:hi:

[alphafemale]

13. UPDATE: She caught a Dragonfly today.

I'm sure that was a pretty epic battle.


But by the time I noticed, things were...wrapped up. :P

[qnr]

15. Here's a photo of that type of scene (small):

It's a link, for those that like spiders and want to see it larger.

[alphafemale]

16. It looked like that except the dragonfly's tail was curled over like a scorpion.

Hearty meal for the girl.

[qnr]

17. Yup, should keep her going. Actually, if you follow the link and look

at the large or original sizes, you'll see the same think with this dragonfly, it doesn't show up well in the smaller size with that angle.

[RushIsRot]

18. She is a completely harmless Argiope. We used to call them

Writing Spiders. The lore was that if they wrote YOUR name you would die, but fortunately, they have awful penmanship. Even worse than doctors.

Enjoy her beauty. She will do you no harm.