Halloween Spider
How fascinating is this! I was putting away my outside Halloween decorations at my cabana and when I took the pumpkins off of the straw bales, I found this little pumpkin on there too. It looks like it already had a face on top, do you see it?
This spider is called a Marbled Orb Weaver and you can see why it is also called the Halloween Spider.
That huge orange ball is full of hundreds of babies that will hatch in the spring.
Once the babies are born this mama will unfortunately die, living less than one year.
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Categories: My Garden
Wow … “babies”??? :/
In the spring she will lay hundreds then die. Stupid me, I released her about 6 feet from our cabana before I knew that gigantic abdomen was babies! Now I hope she didn’t go to hibernate on it or I will be knocking spiders off all of 2021! Lol
😱😱😱
Hahaha she was so interesting!
Oh, my! That’s scary! How big was it?
I see the face. It looks super miserable.
If you had to carry hundreds of babies around you would be miserable too. hahahaha Her baby filled abdomen was the size of a small marble.
That is very true. I was just thinking that her frown might turn into a smile after she no longer has to carry the babies. But then I remembered your last sentence.
Hahaha right all that work for what? She can’t even watch them grow up.
What a beauty
She sure was and very interesting to watch her.
omg it looks so much like a pumpkin with a face , never seen this before !
I know right! It was so strange taking all the pumpkins off the bale of straw and finding a mini pumpkin that moved! hahaha
I’m not sure whether to scream or say cool, lol
I wasn’t bothered by her at all, just fascinated by her looks. She moved very slow but then I would too if I was carrying hundreds of babies!
A Charlotte’s Web sort of story! Serious motherhood or spiderhood. Love it, C
How funny Cheryl. That was the first thing I said, “It’s a Charlotte!” Maybe that’s why I wasn’t freaked out by her. If I find a web on my cabana that says “Some Pig” then I will freak out!
I wouldn’t mine waking up to “terrific,” especially what comes out of your kitchen. C
Awwww you are always so sweet! Thank you!
lol.. clever!!!! oh that little Marbled orb Weaver is hella scary 🤣
Btw.. .you were right … the little carrots aren’t so good baked.. I’ll try again!! ❤️
Yes I thought so, bet you will love the regular sized ones.
I’m sure I will… I’ll try again!!! ❤️ Have a beautiful day!
Creepy!
After I released her near my cabana, I read about her and realized she will be having hundreds of babies in the spring! I don’t want them all over my cabana, sure wish I had moved her farther away..lol
Beautiful – but freaky at the same time.
Usually they freak me out too, but for some reason I thought she was so interesting.
That she was. So glad you thought to photograph her.
So fascinating!!
I thought so too! She looked like a mini pumpkin…Lol
An interesting post about a spider I see for the first time. I’m afraid of big, hairy spiders. This one does not look harmless, it is rightly called Halloween. It looks like a pumpkin.
Greetings
Did you see the face image on her back? I’m not fond of them either but she was very interesting.
Yikes! Great close up photos! – Neek
Thank you she was amazing to look at.
EEEK!
She was harmless but fascinating to look at and far enough away from my house! Lol
I don’t know that many spiders can cause harm . . . can they? They are still spine tingling!
We only have one bad one in our area that requires medical attention, the brown recluse spider.
Yes, I’ve heard of that one! And for some of us, spider bites turn into big huge welts.
Yes my granddaughter is like that too, even with mosquitoes.
Hahaha usually I would agree but she was so interesting watch.
Wow, fascinating, my grandkids would love to see that, they love spiders.
She moved so slow they would have had fun watching her. If I was carrying hundreds of babies I would move slow too!
The photos are lovely! Thank you for sharing them. I think spiders are interesting animals.
Thank you they really are!
I have never seen one before!
Me either! Ohio is the place they are at the most too. They say they aren’t usually seen in the daylight so that’s probably why we haven’t seen them before.
Whoa, she’s massive!
There is a lot of babies waiting to come out in the spring!
Oh my goodness! How fascinating!
I know and to think of all those babies in her abdomen. Kinda makes me wish I had put her further away from my cabana…oops!
That is absolutely terrifying! 😳😳😳 How did you not scream when you saw it!? Shock aside, and since it’s another part of the world, it is quite a beautiful spider. Perfect colour and timing for Halloween! Was it moving when it spotted you?
Yes she wouldn’t hold still because I uncovered her hiding spot, but she was very slow. I ran…to get my camera! They don’t bother me outside but they are not allowed to stay in my house! Lol
oh dear…if it was me, I would still be running! ahaha
As long as they aren’t in my house I’m ok…lol
Hahaha
Oh wow!! I’ve never seen one of those before. How interesting!
I know and that color and the face!
I wrote a comment, but it probably blasted out into space. I wanted to ask if this spider is dangerous?
Best wishes
No it is not dangerous. She usually only comes out at night but I disturbed her sleeping hiding spot, Thanks!
Great post Dianne but a bit scary.LOL
Hahaha I don’t like spiders but I found this one fascinating. Thanks Barb!
Oh my…I have goosebumps only looking at the photos 🕷
Hahaha I’m not a lover of spiders and they are never aloud in my house, but she was so interesting!
Amen to that!
Oh Lord. If my wife ever saw this, I would have to sell the house!!!
Hahahahaha at least it was outside.
Amazing–and so photogenic!😂 Seriously, thanks for sharing that; I love unusual creatures.
She was amazing to see, especially the face image on her back. You’re welcome!
I have several Orb Weavers around the house but not so colorful. Last year I saw a Marbled Orb Weaver hanging from a tree next to the pond at the back of the farm. Quite interesting and I managed to get a few photos. Thanks for sharing!
They are so fascinating aren’t they. I can’t wait until she writes “Some Pig” in her web like on Charlottes Web! Hahaha
That would be very weird! If one did that here I would be looking for the pig. 🙂
Hahahaha
What a beauty! 😍 I can understand the name “Halloween spider” with that colour. I love spiders, they are such beautiful and fascinating creatures.
She really was a beauty. She moved so slow but if I had all those babies to carry I would too! Lol
These are great up-close photos and that’s interesting Diane. Yes, I could see the face of the “pumpkin” … sad eyes and the long nose which reminded me of the “Kilroy was here” memes that circulated on the internet a few years ago. I’m no spider lover, indoors or outdoors. I’d have headed for the hills if I saw it. I didn’t know that about the baby spiders … so it will hibernate in the cabana over the Winter then – hopefully it likes the Christmas decor too. 🙂
No-no-no I don’t want it to hibernate in the cabana!!!! I spray around the cabana to keep the spiders and bugs away. She was fascinating to look at in front of the cabana but I don’t want her on it….lol Stupid me, I moved her but only about 6 feet from the cabana. Hopefully she headed to the garden to hibernate. I don’t want hundreds of baby spiders on the cabana….lol
Good – I remembered you said you would decorate for Christmas and if she is now hibernating for the Winter, you do not want to meet up with her. Hopefully she hightails it far away. 🙂
I wasn’t able to get electric run to the cabana this year, too many other projects to get done. Hopefully next year I can get electric there and decorate. I was sitting under it today thinking about what I wanted to do.
Next year hopefully things are not so crazy due to COVID – you have had your hands full. I know they see battery-operated door wreaths but I’m sure they cost you a lot in batteries to run them as the batteries would get so cold.
I did see solar rope lights but like you said, the cold just drains them. I even put away my solar lights around my ponds for winter.
Yes, the solar lights don’t get that much sunlight, just on the rare bright and sunny days. Battery-operated lights would be too costly. That’s a shame – next year, you’ll have the contractors in and be good to go. I heard that lots of people are buying pizza ovens and patio heaters to prolong their patio time. I have heard of fire pits, but not patio heaters. That’s a good idea to extend the time outside if possible.
This season was short since it arrived late so I can’t wait until next year to start planning lights, landscaping etc!
Life after the vaccine will be normal again and you’ll have fun getting that cabana decorated and landscaped just the way you like it. Something to look forward to as we get through the cold, snowy Winter.
I can’t wait. Life has been renewed for me with the grandkids here. I am excited to have Thanksgiving dinner with them and we are already watching holiday shows on TV. They are talking about Santa and the presents. Asking questions about how Santa will deliver the presents with the virus. Never thought I would have a conversation like that!
I justs heard what to tell your kids (or grandkids) when asked that because we actually have some Santas at malls with plexiglass shields and hand sanitizer – how odd is that? They said to tell the kids that Santa is using hand sanitizer after he comes back up the chimney and he is spraying the presents with disinfectant to keep them safe. And kids are encouraged to not visit Santa at the mall but use Zoom to give him their “list”.
Or even the old fashioned letter!
That’ll work! Letters worked for me and though you’re younger than me, probably for you as well Diane.
Amazing photos, Diane. What an interesting-looking spider! <3
She really was, I couldn’t stop watching her. They are common here and I have never seen one because they only come out at night, unless someone like me moves their sleeping place…lol Thank you so much!
Wow, Diane! Beautiful spider!
It really was Mitzy. I have never been fascinated with spiders but this one had my attention!
Great photos! Thanks for teaching me about a new kind of spider 🙂
You’re welcome she was quite interesting. Thank you!
How remarkable!! It’s so perfect in fitting in with its surroundings!! It’s good it’s not particularly poisonous – and great for the ecosystem! Thank you for sharing!
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It was so funny because I picked up the pumpkins and I thought another little one grew! Lol I was so fascinated with her.
Yikes! But that is a very neat spider!!
Isn’t it interesting? I am not crazy about spiders but this one amazed me.
I love orb weavers. I don’t do much like their creations at 7am when it is just getting light and I’m getting ready to milk my girls. Almost every day I walk through a different warm in the same place; the door frame to the milk barn.
OH NO I wouldn’t care for that either! They are nice to look at but don’t touch my body! Haha