The subject of today’s post is a spider I met once I emerged from the woodland trail that leads to the prairie meadow near my house. This image was made a couple of weeks ago, just before the extreme heat began to build in the area.
Unfortunately, I could not get a shot of the spider from the topside … when I tried to move around, he was real nervous and started to move about. So, I decided photos from his underside were better than nothing! Not being able to see the patterns/colors on his backside make it difficult to identify this little guy. But the coloration and pattern on the legs look strikingly similar to that of the Marbled Orb Weaver (Araneus marmoreus); the only thing that doesn’t look correct is the shape of the spider’s abdomen. The Marbled Orb Weaver usually has a more rounded abdomen … different than this spider’s elongated, oval abdomen. If anyone knows the identity of this spider, I’d appreciate the information. I also wonder what I must have looked like to him … this upside down, irregularly-shaped form walking directly at him, with this crazy black item in his hand!
This image is not real sharp. Needing to hurry before he left, I shot this handheld, with a light breeze gently swaying the little guy about … would have definitely preferred to have the tripod up!
