Monday, October 31, 2016

Deck the rails with jowls of horror ...

Every fall, at least one spider helps us decorate our porch for Halloween.
  Come October, intricate webs appear almost daily, most often between the ceiling and the porch posts, or along the railing. This year I spotted one stretching from the porch floor to the electrical outlet above the foundation. 
  Those webs are beautiful, although darkly beautiful when you notice the tiny wrapped dinner packages stowed along the strands.
  One recent morning, as I headed out the front door to fetch the paper, a thin, sticky wisp brushed my cheek. I yelped and swiped it away, then noticed the broken web-in-progress: It would have covered the space between our door and the mailbox, a span of about 2 feet.
  That did give me pause. Just what — or who — was on that spider’s menu?
  Happy Halloween!
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   I did a bit of research on Pennsylvania spiders, and I believe our porchmates are Cross Orbweaver spiders, or Araneus diadematus.
   Beware.


         

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