I’m not big on ghosts and goblins, so to celebrate Halloween I though I’d include a few recent images of spiders that I have not posted previously. Some of my readers may find certain spiders to be creepy and utterly appropriate for Halloween, though I tend to view as beautiful creatures, many of which are capable of creating beautiful web art.
Happy Halloween to all.
NOTE: If you click on any one of the images in the mosaic, you will be taken into slide show mode, where you will see larger versions of the images (when you are viewing the original posting).
Six-spotted Fishing Spider
Black and Yellow Garden Orbweaver wraps up prey
Bold Jumping Spider
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love spiders but my husband and four kids are arachnophobes – though still fascinated by them. Last year we moved from Scotland (no dangerous spiders) to America (dangerous spiders) so I am having to learn a) how to identify spiders and b) not to pick a spider up without identifying it first.
I tend to keep my hands off spiders, even though I know that most of them are harmless. For what it’s worth, I use the same approach with snakes, which I also like to photograph.
After all that, I forgot to add that your photos are spectacular. I especially love the last one with the big shining eyes (complete with catch lights), the sparkly mandible and all those fine hairs.
Thanks. I love the jumping spiders with those amazing eyes. This one was in the reeds and I got to shoot it almost at my eye level. The really challenge was that the vegetation was swaying in the wind (and the fact that the spider jumped to a new position several times).
Nothing quite as scary as walking through an unseen spider web. Especially the one that wasn’t there a few minutes ago.
Your comment reminds me of an old joke from my childhood–What’s worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm? Biting into an apple and finding half a worm.
That’s a great shot of the fishing spider!
That was my favorite shot of the bunch and I was thrilled to see one close and in a location in which I could choose how to shoot it (normally I am hanging over the edge of the boardwalk shooting almost straight down when I shoot one).
They are indeed beautiful…as long as they don’t crowd me. 🙂 Nice captures, I particularly like the first image.
Thanks. The first image was the most unusual, given that I have never seen one of the spiders out of water and I managed to get an interesting angle for it.
Oh, they’re brilliant 🙂 I rather like spiders!
Thanks. I tend to take photos of them whenever I happen to come across them, though the only ones that I am sure to feature are the jumping spiders.
Oh, the jumping spiders are truly fascinating!
Excellent! 🙂
Thanks, Ed. I seem to recall that you don’t have a problem with spiders.
Not at all, respect them and don’t bother them and they don’t bother you..:-)
Wonderful and beautiful. Who knew spiders could be so lovely?