As I was reaching for my camera bag after taking a photo of a spider, I was surprised to see an unexpected visitor—a much larger spider with what looks like an egg sack.
I was in a wooded area and had placed my bag on the ground while I set up my tripod to take a photo of a small spider (shown in the second photo). After getting the shots, I returned to my bag. I bent down to open the zipper of the bag and suddenly was eye-to-eye with the spider. The spider seemed really large at that moment, although retrospectively it does not seem that big when I compare it with the Adidas logo on the zipper pull. When I tried to adjust the bag’s position, the spider moved away, but fortunately I had the foresight to take some photos before attempting to improve the lighting situation.
I am not sure of the identification of either of these spiders, but find them both to be pretty cool in their own ways. I’d welcome some more information from more knowledgeable readers about the white ball and, in particular, if it is an egg sack.
UPDATE: I have done a little research and think that the spider in the first shot may be a Nursery Web Spider (Psaurina mira), a spider that is known for carrying its egg sack with its fangs. Some other spiders attach the egg sack to their spinnerets.
Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
That would be a surprising discovery. I’m sure the Adidas logo is quite large:)
The green and yellow one is quite pretty…for a spider.
That last shot is fantastic, with a very unusual perspective.
Thanks. I experimented a bit when taking that shot, using a combination of natural light and a my pop-up flash. Using my tripod, I was able to get close-up and hold the position to take the shots. In many cases, it’s not visually appealing to have the background go to black (as it did here), which often happens when using flash, but I think that it worked well with the spider.
The first one – shiver, shiver! It’s like you were in the amazon on this adventure!
Yeah, it definitely has that tropical vibe to it. I remember the movies when I was growing up about safaris (maybe Tarzan movies) in which the characters always had to check their shoes to make sure there were no spiders.
eeeeeww! I would’ve left my bag screaming 😉 Just reading “egg sack” makes me shiver. Great photos, I’ve never seen any spiders like these before.
Keep looking (if you dare). The ones in the second photo seem to be pretty common where I live.
That second shot is just beautiful. What a great opportunity!