Photos, videos and docs of Janet Brien, with the keywords: "arachnid"

Darling Jumping Spider to Welcome Me Home!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 21 Oct 2020 16:54:22 +0000

Being Home is Kind of Strange!
I have to admit that it's odd to be back home in our "bricks and sticks" house instead of on the road. It's a good thing to be back before the rainy season turns any flat area into sticky, slippery mud, but since the downpours haven't started yet, both of us wish we could be out and about. However, we were out a month later than we expected and we do have lots of things to upgrade and work on--both in our trailer and in our house--so it's for the best that we're home! :)

Trip Stories
I'm going to post a series of pictures that show a picture of each place we went during our trip, along with a quick summary, but I haven't gotten everything organized yet. In the meantime, I'll post some pictures from home!

Today's Picture
Just a couple of days after we got home, I found a little black something crawling on the wall in the bathroom. Of course I knew instantly what it was--a curious little jumping spider! Are you not in love?! JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE!! THE FANCY HAIR! Hearts and flowers everywhere! :D

These are my favorite spiders because they are so cute, clever and interested in everything around them. Of their eight eyes, one of the two pairs that face forward is very large with excellent vision. These awesome hunters are not dangerous and are great fun to hold on the tip of a finger! :) I do love them so!

Jumping spiders, members of the Salticidae family, are the most successful group of arachnids. There are over 600 genera and more than 6000 species found worldwide with the exception of the north and south poles--why, they have even been spotted at the base of Mount Everest!

Thank you all for your visits, comments and favorites! I'm doing my best to catch up and hope you will be patient with me! :D It really is so nice to be visiting once again--you're all so talented with amazing photography to enjoy! :)

Explored on 10/21/20; highest placement #1.

Adorable Itty Bitty Baby Crab Spider

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 00:29:53 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(2 notes above)

I was creeping around looking for interesting subjects when I noticed something very small that was flashing at me. Peeking closer, I saw an impossibly small spider waving back and forth in the breeze. I could barely get close enough to see what it was except that I recognized the posture which is undeniably "crab spider." When these spiders are in hunting mode, they always look like they are saying, "Yesterday I caught a bug THIS BIG!" LOLOL, oh how they make me giggle!

I found a bunch of neat images today, but none of them could hold a candle to this picture which I took yesterday. And so, here is my cute little friend for all of you to coo at and love along with me! I know that everyone just LOVES spiders!!! :D

279/366: This is My [Spider] Butt.

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 02:21:19 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

...There are many butts like it, but this one is mine. :D

A few years ago I found a jumping spider on our front porch, and had a lot of fun taking pictures from all angles. I liked these rear angles because you can clearly see the spinnerets.

276/366: Adorable Baby Crab Spider

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 03:55:22 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Once I got over my fear of spiders, I began to appreciate them and even to think they are adorable and totally cute. Finding this itty bitty baby crab spider trying to be invisible on a stem of dried grass brought out a chorus of coos from me. I was especially happy because the sun was at just the right angle to make its translucent body glow. Finally, I added a texture to the background to give it a bit more interest.

121/366: Mini Crab Spider on Rose Petal

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 03 May 2016 03:51:41 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I know I posted a spider picture the other day, but I saw this one in my archives today and I can't resist! Would you just take a look at this adorable baby? He's doing his best to be YELLOW and I pretended not to see him while I took a picture of his cute little face! :) I am in love!! :)

I found this cutie pie on a rose when I visited the Harry & David garden in Medford in 2014. Steve and I went for another outing a couple of Saturdays ago and we will be back soon. What a show!! :)

116/366: Jumping Spider with a Molly Hair

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 03:25:30 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Last Saturday, Steve and I went to the Harry & David public garden with my workmate, Andy Spliethof, and his daughter. While we were there, they managed to get some super pictures of jumping spiders, and when I saw this image in my archives, I just had to share it! To show just how small this adorable spider is, that's a dog hair from our Border Collie next to it!

105/366: Jumping Spider Derriere

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 03:59:20 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Whether they are coming or going, jumping spiders are fun to look at! They often have very fancy abdomens, and I thought this guy was especially handsome! I often find these spiders inside our house, so I'll coax them into a container and then put them outside on our porch for a photo shoot before they disappear from sight. Here you see the lip of a plastic container where the spider was crawling. Thank you for the awesome leading line, buddy! :)

Looks like I captured this image a day before my birthday back in 2012!

34/366: Baby Crab Spider on Candytuft (+3 in notes)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 02:08:08 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(3picture above in a note)

Oh, how I love crab spiders. I think they are so funny the way they look as they lay in wait for their meal to come within grasp. They all appear to be telling the same story to anyone who cares to listen, "I once caught a fly THIIIIIIIIIIS BIG!!" :D Too funny!!

One of the cool features of crab spiders is their ability to change colors to match the flower they are hunting on. It takes them several days to closely approximate the color--in this case, I expect this spider came from some yellow flower and if it stays here, will change to a very light beige. I found this youngster hanging out on the edge of a Candytuft blossom in my friend's garden when I visited a couple of years ago.

3/366: Darling Jumping Spider

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 18:54:16 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I used to be terrified of spiders, but when I realized they were more afraid of me, I became curious about this much-maligned creature.

This little guy is a jumping spider, and they are inquisitive, bold arachnids that can leap a surprisingly long distance! These are my favorite type of spider and can be found all over the world!

Explored on January 3, 2016. Highest placement: #4

1-10 Project: 8 Legs = Spider!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 20:09:03 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I'd forgotten all about this picture until I was looking through my images to see what I could use for my 1-10 Project.

This beauty is a Cat-Faced Orbweaver, just like Roscoe Frank McCrawlerson, the spider that stayed in our porch doorway. This one I found on our back porch one evening, crawling on a piece of plastic.

There are five others doing this project with me! Make sure to check out their streams and see what they've been doing with their 1-10 Project!

1-10 Project Buddies
Chrissy
Valfal (Valerie)
Jenny McIntyre
Rachel
Lynne

Explored on September 15, 2014. Highest placement, #3.

[STORYTIME!] Another Spider Leaves A Spring Present

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 06:58:45 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

1 picture above in a note :)

This pretty lady arrived on our porch back in mid-October and I saw that she was a Cat-Faced Orb-Weaver like Roscoe, except darker in coloring. She was also quite a bit smaller, so I wasn't sure what her life expectancy was. Would she live until spring, grow larger and then make an egg sac? I didn't know, but I certainly enjoyed her company. Unlike Roscoe, she didn't stay in one spot and tried out several locations before settling on a place just above our doorway, tucked up against the ceiling. One of her spots was especially cool because she was able to make a very large orb-web in one corner of the porch, and she caught a huge number of wasps and flies there. I'm not sure why she moved from that spot, but maybe there was too much air current.

A couple of weeks ago I saw her dabbing silk on one spot and I thought to myself, "I think she's making an egg sac!" That night I took another peek and found her proudly displaying her great masterpiece for all to see! The size of her egg sac is about half the size of Roscoe's, which makes sense, since this spider was much smaller. The picture you see above was taken when I saw her egg sac for the first time! :)

A week passed, and then a few more days, and she never moved far enough away that she couldn't have one of her feet touching her egg sac. However, last night I looked up to see how she was doing, and discovered that she had left. I looked around to see if I could find her, but she'd already made her last journey to a dark corner to have her final rest. Even though I didn't know this spider very long, I enjoyed her company and loved her pretty coloring. However, just like Roscoe, this spider left me a great treasure to watch over until springtime, and if I'm lucky, I'll be able to share pictures of the babies hatching...and maybe one of them will choose to stay! :) (By the way, I've put her other picture as an inset for you to see! :)

[STORYTIME]"For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one." ~ Khalil Gibran (MANY MANY inset pictures!)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 02:40:57 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

MANY, MANY pictures above to show Roscoe from when I first met her until today...

I checked on Roscoe last night and this morning, and she was near her egg sac each time. This afternoon, she was further out, legs held closely to her body, sitting quietly (see the inset image above). Then, at about 4pm, I let the dogs out and Roscoe was gone. I looked everywhere on the walls but she wasn't there. Just before I went back into the house, I thought about what she would do if she needed to crawl to a dark place to die. I looked down and checked the cement...and there she was. I could barely see her because she was so perfectly camouflaged with the colors of the stone, but I noticed something moving, which gave her away.

Making her way slowly over the ground, she was just about to the edge of the porch. It was amazing that I spotted her before she was gone forever. I dashed into the house and back out, and she'd gone to the edge and crawled off the side, so I went around to the front in the garden and I saw her making her way to the edge of the cement and wanting to crawl down. She hung there for a moment, and that's when I took this picture. She wanted to go down but she had no more silk to lower herself, so after a few seconds she dropped into the leaves below and sat for a moment. I reached over and gently petted her soft, velvety abdomen, the only time I've ever touched her, and I said goodbye to my friend. After I left, I checked once more, and she had crawled out of sight. Rest in peace, dear Roscoe.

[STORYTIME!] 315/365: “When the first light comes into the sky and the stars fade ... you look up here and I’ll show you something. I will show you my masterpiece.” ~ Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 05:20:52 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

3 more pictures above ! :)

Last night I went to let the dogs out before watching our evening show and going to bed. As I always do, I looked up to the left side of our doorway where Roscoe, my wonderful orb weaver friend lives. Exclaiming in surprise, I burst out, "OH ROSCOE!!! YOU'RE MAKING AN EGG SAC!!!!" I charged upstairs to yell excitedly to Steve, "ROSCOE MADE HER EGG SAC!!!!!!" and before he could barely utter a surprised, "WOW!!", I zoomed back downstairs to continue watching her work, totally transfixed. Moving slowly all over her enormous egg sac, Roscoe dabbed strands of sticky silk. "Wow...you must have been working on this all day," I murmured to her affectionately. "It's so beautiful and HUGE!!" In fact, her egg sac is larger than she is, and I also noticed two more things. Roscoe was so skinny now--instead of being huge and plump, she was now empty of all the eggs that had been growing inside her bloated abdomen. And I also saw how exhausted she was. "My dear, dear girl," I cooed softly to her. "What a masterpiece you have made." She moved so slowly, dabbing and dabbing more silk to finish her grand achievement.

I got my camera and flash and took a few pictures, but I waited until midnight to get the picture here so that I could make it my Picture of the Day. The following image (both insets) were taken before midnight, while she was still finishing the last touches of her egg sac. One of the insets shows her dabbing silk onto her sac, which was very interesting to watch.

I have known Roscoe for over a year now, from when she was barely a quarter inch in size, and I've watched her go through hibernation (brumation) and grow into a magnificent, beautiful lady, with an abdomen of almost 1" in diameter! I know that these spiders only live for one season, and I was feeling very sad because it looked as if she wouldn't be producing eggs, though I saw two different suitors visit the area. As September turned to October, and then to November, I watched her with quiet worry. My concern was unfounded, because she has just finished her gift to me...hundreds of unborn Roscoe babies who I will adore as much as I have adored her.

I know that Roscoe's days are now truly numbered. She could live another day or maybe as much as a month...but I expect she will die within a week. I will miss her terribly, but I will be there to take pictures of her babies and maybe some of them will stay, just like Charlotte's children!! :) I will keep you informed as the days pass...

Charlotte's Web is a children's novel by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published in 1952 by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live. Wikipedia: Charlotte's Web

Elwyn Brooks "E. B." White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985), was an American writer. He was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of the English language style guide, The Elements of Style, which is commonly known as "Strunk & White". He also wrote books for children, including Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan. Charlotte's Web was voted the top children's novel in a 2012 survey of School Library Journal readers, not for the first time. Wikipedia: E.B. White

Explored on November 13, 2013. Highest placement, page 9.

"This egg sac is my great work—the finest thing I have ever made." ~ Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 05:20:44 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

2 images above in notes (same as on main picture)

This picture shows Roscoe as she was still working on her egg sac. She must have started it many hours before, as it's larger than she is and she was completely exhausted from her efforts. Isn't she amazing?! I think she's just wonderful and I feel so blessed that I got to spend more than a whole year getting to know her.

Would you like to watch a video which shows the life cycle of the orb weaver spider? There is an awesome guy over on YouTube named Bob McAndrews, better known as "Bob The Spider Hunter", and he made a wonderful video which shows the life cycle of a species related to this spider. He is a fine instructor and, like me, strives to both educate and entertain, with the hopes to illuminate the beauty and gentle nature of spiders. Before you watch this video, please be warned: Bob allows the starring spider to crawl on his hands, so if this will make you run screaming into the night, you may want to prepare yourself! Please try to watch it though, it's very fascinating, educational and will show you that these beautiful spiders are not to be feared. :) Orb Weaver: Cycle of Life

287/365: "Words are like the spider's web: a shelter for the clever ones and a trap for the not-so-clever." ~ Maltese Proverb

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 05:10:19 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

3 more pictures in notes above! :) My uploads tonight are all dedicated to The Sunday Challenge group! :D

You may know that I have become quite fond of spiders in the past couple of years since I began taking pictures and learning more about them. And when a darling little orb weaver spider came to live just outside my front door last September, I had a naming contest for my new little friend, who would be named Roscoe Frank McCrawlerson! :) I have read that Cat-Faced Orb Weavers live only one season, but it is now well-into October and Roscoe is still alive and well in her corner of her nook. She has had two suiters that I know of, but has not made an egg sac. I know that her time grows short, so I appreciate her every day that she is still here with me. (If you'd like to see pictures of Roscoe with many stories, here's a search for her pictures: Roscoe's Pictures on ipernity

A few days ago, I noticed that there was a NEW cat-faced orb weaver in a much darker color, hanging out on the ceiling of the porch. Soon it found itself a spot not very far from where Roscoe lives! I think it's another female, and about half the size of Roscoe, the a body about 2/3" in diameter. Hooray!!

And THEN I was looking around on the wall and suddenly gave a squeak of delight! There, near Roscoe's nook, was a BABY ROSCOE!! Awwwwwww!!!! Just a bit bigger than Roscoe when she came to stay (1/4"), this little doll is perfectly adorable, making beautiful, tiny webs and acting very brave and bold! I hope she and her older girlfriend will be here to stay, and I hope that everyone gets along! :) (Textures by Jerry Jones: Square-170 and Square-151 )

A big thank you to Shuttering Yukon, who is the admin for The Sunday Challenge, for letting my critter pictures slip in under the wire! :)

A proverb (from Latin: proverbium) is a simple and concrete saying, popularly known and repeated, that expresses a truth based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim.

Proverbs are often borrowed from similar languages and cultures, and sometimes come down to the present through more than one language. Both the Bible (including, but not limited to the Book of Proverbs) and medieval Latin (aided by the work of Erasmus) have played a considerable role in distributing proverbs across Europe, although almost every culture has examples of its own.Wikipedia: Proverb

New Cat-Faced Orb-Weaver!

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 05:09:46 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

This is the new, darker-colored orb weaver that has come to live on our porch! It currently has a body about 2/3" in diameter. So pretty! :)

(Textures by Jerry Jones: Square-170 and Square-151 )

228/365: "The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes." ~ Benjamin Disraeli

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 03:22:15 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

2 more pictures and one text note above! :)

I've been working on a little seed project which involves gathering seeds from various flowers that I have growing here. I have many, many poppy seed pods to collect seeds from and today I spent some time on that.

When I was done pulling poppy pods out of a cup, I poured the seeds at the bottom into my hand and... why, there was something crawling around! I peered very closely to see, and... awwwwwwww... there I saw an itty bitty hunting spider about the size of the letter "o" in this sentence! So cute!! I placed him on a napkin and ran for my camera! I took a bunch of pictures with both my flash and with just natural lighting, and hoped that I'd get a few good ones to share. When a creature is THAT small, it's not easy to get crisp focus on the spot you're hoping for. I always try for the eyes because that's where we are first drawn to when looking at an animal. But at this size, the only way I can really be sure is to stare with my naked eye to see how it's positioned and then try to get a clear picture focused where I think the eyes are. It really is amazing to me how great this 100mm lens is. Combined with 21k pixels from my 5D Mark II, I have the luxury of being able to crop in quite closely. What a combination!!

To give you an idea how tiny this spider is, it's crawling over shell embossing on a paper napkin! So amazing to me that something I can barely see can be captured so large! You know, we actually have a special lens adaptor, called the Raynox DCR-250 Super Macro conversion lens, which is a 2.5x magnification lens, but the problem is that the dof becomes so ridiculously razor thin that it can be challenging to get the focus where you want it. We've had the lens since I've had my Mark II, but I haven't bothered even trying to use it because I wanted to be extremely comfortable with my 100mm before trying to tack on this potentially frustrating lens. Do you think it's about time for me to give it a try? :) I think I'm ready! The fact of the matter is that I need to begin practicing with this lens because SOME DAY when I have some extra money, I want to get Canon's amazing MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo lens. It's manual focus only and has razor thin dof, but the results are INCREDIBLE when a person can learn to use it well! So...time to begin practicing! :) WISH ME LUCK!!!! *tremble*

Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British Prime Minister, parliamentarian, Conservative statesman and literary figure. He served in government for forty years, twice as Prime Minister of Great Britain. He played a central role in the creation of the modern Conservative Party after the Corn Laws schism of 1846. In the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth century, the concept of One-nation conservatism associated with him, with its emphasis on obligations to all classes, was highly influential in Britain. Wikipedia: Benjamin Disraeli

Explored on August 17, 2013. Highest placement, page 2 (#44)...

I Will Call You George, The Tiniest Spider in the World! :D

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 03:22:05 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Can you believe how incredibly tiny this spider is? Literally only about 1mm in size!!! As an adult, it will only be about 1" including legs. Not large but still, such a little baby!!! I think this tiny spider is so cute that :D I want to hug him and squeeze him and take him home and call him George!

Tiny 1mm Spider on Paper Napkin

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 03:21:57 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

When I showed this picture to my husband, he thought it was a piece of fabric! :D When I told him it was a paper napkin, he just about fell over! They are quite smooth with little embossed shells here and there. But at a macro size, you can see so much texture!

NAMING CONTEST!!!!! 202/365: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." ~ William Shakespeare

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 04:31:31 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

3 pictures in notes above! :)

I went outside this morning to water my garden and as I trotted down the few stairs from our porch, I glanced at the walls to see if there were any critters to investigate. I was looking at the wall where our Rhodedendron bush grows and suddenly I saw a shape that grabbed my attention...could it be?!! NO WAY!!! *Janet bounces up and down in excitement* A GOLDEN ORBWEAVER SPIDER!!!! AT THE HOUSE!!! YES!!!!!!!

I am crazy about these spiders and yet I have had very little luck finding them on our property. I did find one two summers ago when I was using my point and shoot camera, but I have always wanted to take a picture with my new camera. Last year I looked and looked with no luck. This year, I've been searching but didn't find any either. But it appears that I have a new friend who's found ME!!! HOORAY!!! I'm hoping this spider will stay here for a while, and in case it does, I think it should have a NAME!! This is where YOU come in!!

SPIDER NAMING CONTEST!!! (She's a girl!)
Last September when I found my baby Cat-Faced Orbweaver spider on our porch, I had a naming contest! It was a lot of fun to choose Roscoe Frank McCrawlerson from everyone's names, and I thought I have another naming contest for this spider! (I found out that she is a female after asking at Bugguide.com!) If you have a nice name, put it in a comment, and after a few days I'll pick the winner! You can choose a name with one name or if you like, you can come up with a first, a middle, and a last name! However, it's possible that I might take just a part of that name for the winning name--let's find out! LET THE BEST NAME(S) WIN!!!

William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Wikipedia: William Shakespeare

Explored on July 22, 2012. Highest placement, page 2 (#44).