Female Golden-silk SpiderFemale Golden-silk Spider – Nikon D200, handheld, f5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light

Last week was crazy. A lot of things came up that bugged me and I’m hoping that this week goes more smoothly and with fewer distractions so I can get caught up on responding to the comments you all have left here, have time to reply to emails sent to me and to find time to brush the cobwebs from my brain.

This is a female Golden-silk Spider (Nephila clavipes) I photographed way back in September of 2007 while wandering Arrow Head Trail at Fort De Soto County Park.

You can’t see it in this image but they do produce golden colored silk rather than the silvery white silk we are used to seeing from other spiders.

The females, as shown here are rather large at nearly two inches per bugguide.net but I know they seemed larger than that to me, I think If I held one in my hand it would have taken up the space of my palm, not that I would have. I think the two inches is just the length of her body not including the legs!

Anyway, here’s hoping for a week with a few less bugs in it.

Life is good.

Mia

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