Aaahhhhh!!! Spider!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The other day DH and I were riding our bikes at our local park when I yelled out “turn around!” A big, beautiful scarlet red dragonfly was lying on the bike path, deader than a doorknob. I collected her for a studio specimen (I like to draw and paint nature and have a variety of insect specimens - and I am absolutely anal about every wing and leg being correct!). That is why my DH keeps ziploc bags in our bike bags!

Yes I like to collect perfect dead 'specimens' too. Did you see my mounted tarantula skin in one of the threads I linked to above? I have a gorgeous huge green luna moth in a plexiglass box.

[wildhawk]

Awesome! I had a luna moth several years ago, but another pet cat got it and happily destroyed it one day while I was at work. Currently I have a large polyphemous moth, and hope someday to replace my luna. And I have gotten a lot smarter about keeping them secured and safe - away from my cat! Lunas are definately a treasure! Tarantulas are so interesting - did you have one as a pet at one point? I am glad to know that we have a love of insects in common - most of the gals I know are grossed out by my collection. However, one sweet lady I work with lost her husband a couple of years ago found out that I am a naturalist/artist and she gave me his camera equipment, his microscope (vintage) and a rattlesnake tail that he had mounted in a Ryker display complete with fangs and a small vial of venom - he must have collected that in the 40s. Every now and then she will bring me another one of his specimens for my collection. And most of my biking/hiking friends now know that I “brake” for nature! Can you post a pic of your luna? I would love to see it.

[Smilie]

Very cool spider. They still make me do the heebie jeebie dance though. I freak out with spiders, but can still watch in fascination as they spin their webs.

We have a catch and release program in my house. They get their assetts thrown outside with a strict warning to never return again...

[GLC1968]

Beautiful spider! Too bad she's moved on...I always think they are so fascinating to watch...

We have tons and tons of spiders at our new house. I've never seen so many. There are quite a few around the chicken coop (for obvious reasons) but tons around the house as well.

On Saturday, my H was out picking blackberries. The blackberry bushes are heavy with spider webs right now (not so much at the begining of the season). Since H spent some time in Australia where they were warned that most of the spiders were poisonous, he's really afraid of them now. He's out there, carefully picking the berries, avoiding the webs, and singing out loud "I don't like spiders and snakes" when all of a sudden, he sees a spider on his arm. He screams like a girl, flings the berry bowl into the air, and frantically brushes off the spider. I go out to find him trying to pick up all the berries that are now scattered in the grass. If only we'd had it on video...

[kenyonchris]

We had those spiders in droves at our farm. They like to web between things...like posts, fence rails, etc....not so much in corners. They start off quite small (and manageably sized) then over the summer they grow to enormous proportions...I have seen a few the size of my hand.

When we first moved in, the whole farm was very overgrown and unused...the people who owned it previously were old and died and the place sat empty. When we moved, we used the side door to go in and out...close to the garage and just easier. So on the second day I brought my horses, but no cross fencing yet, so they just grazed at large. In the middle of the night, I heard a creaking and looked out the window to see my big Irish horse scratching his butt on the front pillars. He is a big guy and I was afraid he was going to knock the porch down! So I went charging down the stairs and out the FRONT door to whack Curragh on the backside to stop his scratching. I opened the unused front door and went face - first into one of those spiders in all its full sized glory. Much screaming and arm waving followed...I am sure the spider was just as surprised to be awakened by a charging woman only to be flung about my frenzied waving.

I scared Curragh half to death...and stopped his butt scratching in the process.

Also, the babies are carried on Mom's back...I know this because I accidentally got one in the line of fire of the fly spray. About a zillion little dots popped off Mom and ran for their lives. It was amazing...because you can't see them otherwise.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Can you post a pic of your luna? I would love to see it.

Here it is. Sadly, it is missing the tip of one 'tail' and one antenna....but still beautiful.
Attachment 7110

Yes, I used to keep several large tarantulas as pets. They are beautiful and fascinating to watch. They do all kinds of interesting things.

[wildhawk]

Thanks for posting a pic - she is beautiful!! Nice dragonflies too - I will lay out some of my specimens and shoot a pic for you too - just have to make sure my cat stays out of my studio while I am taking them. He gets into everything! You should see me trying to change guitar strings with him around!!