My son was helping me mow the lawn on Thursday and were at the back of the house next to the water heater when he backed into a thick spider web. He thankfully didn’t notice the rather large spider partially land on his sleeve. By the time he’d freed himself from the strands a rather annoyed spider was clambering back to her lair, her web in tatters. I returned this afternoon and coaxed her out of hiding for a couple of pictures. What had struck me about her the first time was her crenelated bulbous and patterned abdomen. She spent most of the time with her legs drawn beneath her not wanting to show herself off for the camera but she did oblige by clambering about a little for me. When we were done | gently returned her to her hidey-hole, indignant but none the worse for wear.
After downloading the photos I looked on the Internet hoping to identify this spider. I didn’t come across any wonderfully verbose or useful identification resources but I think the Victoria Museum got me there in the end. I hope I have identified her correctly as a Red and Black Spider, Ambicodamus crinitus, a harmless web spinning garden spider whose orange or red colouring often mistakes it as highly venomous species.
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