I was taking photos in my yard last night and saw this little guy. When I say little I mean LITTLE. The other image shows it in the center of the photo. Everyone who's seen it says it's a black widow or recluse or something definitely poisonous and that I should kill it. Now I'm the type of person who rescues the little critters that come into my house so I don't want to kill it. I just want to know what it is...
Doing a quick search I cannot figure who this fellow is.
Whoever is telling you this is a black widow or recluse should learn their spiders. The black widow's red mark is an hour glass and the recluse has no red markings.
I am one who rescues critters from inside, too. I've learned to be quiet about any spiders in the house during the winter because others will smash. If the weather is mild, I try to catch and release them.
Aha! I just tried a different search... Leucauge venusta Orchard Orbweaver.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/180334
That's it! I searched and searched and could not find it anywhere. And yes, they know nothing of spiders that's for sure. Thank you! Now I can set the record straight :)
a happy ending!
Chillybean, FYI, the mark on a Black Widow isn't always an hourglass - it varies a bit. But a Black Widow does have a distinctive shape - and the spider in the photo is definitely not a Black Widow. Also Black Widows rarely make webs out in the sun - they prefer shade or darkness.
Black Widows are common here. They have a distinctively strong, but messy small web. I find them near the ground, often inside or under something black, they seem to love heat. Use care when picking up empty nursery pots, if you leave them all over the garden like I do.
Added info for others who may find the thread
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrodectus
