My wife spotted a tiny cucumber spider on the side of a pet bowl.
Fantastic!
I hope someone here can answer a question I have. I know that crickets make sounds depending upon the temperature, right? So it has been very hot here. And I went out for a smoke tonight. And the crickets are on overdrive. I mean they are blasting their sound. I listened and I could hear one just make its noise then wait a moment. Then it went off for a long tine again. Does the temperature drive that? Really curious.
Yes! Crickets are cold blooded, so when it’s cooler they don’t move as much or as quickly, which includes their chirping. Here’s an article about it.
I don’t kill spiders or other little crawly dudes when i can avoid it. With spiders, I figure letting them be means they’ll take care of other bugs.
But man… This dude is at the bottom of my stairs in by basement.
I’m not gonna kill him, for the reason stated above, and because I feel like killing things is bad karma… But come on man. You should be outside. You are super creepy.
There’s not much for scale there, but he’s about 3 inches across. I think he’s a grass spider… And a very large one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one bigger than that.
How do you know your bedroom is completely clear of harmful pests if you don’t keep a spider in it?
Wolf spider-ish almost
It actually could be a wolf spider… they look almost identical. Wolf spiders are a tiny bit bigger… which is why I now think it could potentially have been one of those, as it’s on the absolute upper end of size for a grass spider… potentially more normal (although still large) for a wolf spider.
I think the little spiky looking maces on the front of it are more unique to the grass spider though.
Morningstar spider. 1d6x2
Post her on /r/spiders, they know their critters
Love that first pic of the cucumber spider!
I like the second one better! Now I get the name.
The cucumber spider is on the side of a cat water bowl. I didnt get any shots from a distance, and wish i did.
I was out on the Thames estuary again today. The coast near me is pretty much river estuaries and salt marshes from Rainham all the way up to Clacton and when head up there when ever we can.
Lots of these little guys about, Common Red Soldier Beetles. Tons of beautiful butterflies too but they are so hard to photograph.
If this gonna be that kinda party…
I think it’s a Sashigame’s nymph (It’s a cute name: it means “poking tortoise-bugs”, hence the huge poking device. Wikipedia tells me they are called Reduviidae in the rest of the world. Good grief.) Credit goes to my wife’s cousin’s son, who taught me what a lot of those crazy weird looking little thingies were really: larvae or nymphs.
Meanwhile on the water, the more the merrier.
BAN THIS SICK FILTH