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DevilDogs Campobello, SC(Zone 7a) Aug 10, 2011

hanging right outside my front door. His body looks like a skull. He had a huge, very thick web.

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kwanjin (Zone 7a) Aug 10, 2011

This is an Orb Weaver and harmless. I can search for which one later or you can wait for someone else.

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DevilDogs Campobello, SC(Zone 7a) Aug 10, 2011

I thought orb weavers had the zig zag down the center of their web? I have a couple black & yellow one's in my garden. Is it only some of them with that feature?

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kwanjin (Zone 7a) Aug 10, 2011

Not all Orb Wevers construct those distinctive squiggles. Only the ones that are active during the day make those.

I've looked at several spiders and keep going back to the Spotted Orb Weavers.

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LadyAshleyR Oakland, MD Aug 10, 2011

also check the Furrow Orbweaver =)

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DevilDogs Campobello, SC(Zone 7a) Aug 10, 2011

thanks guys! now that my skin is crawling from looking at pictures, I'm thinking maybe Arabesque Orb Weaver just based on the pattern I can see. The pics aren't very good as it was night and I was NOT getting any closer than I had to to get my shot. Found a picture on Flickr that says:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guano/3838411563/
"We get lots of these jumbo-sized ladies on our front porch every year in late August and September. Usually I walk face-first into their big webs at nigght or early in the morning. After that I am more cautious, even though they are quite harmless.
They build their web early evenings, and in the morning they sometimes deconstruct their web by eating it (burp!). These are nocturnal spiders that hide during the day."
That describes this situation perfectly and the pattern looks close altho the picture on flickr isn't a good angle, I based that on some others I found.
Regardless I know at least it's an orb weaver and learned they don't all zig zag their webs.
Thanks for the info!

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kwanjin (Zone 7a) Aug 11, 2011

You're very welcome and I'm glad someone stepped to help!

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