Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: writing spider

I took a picture of our darling girl with a snack this morning, and I'm very happy to say that it appears that she'll be hanging around! It's been several days now and Portia has been catching lots of insects and her web is in a good place where it's not too windy but there's plenty of food sources coming by. I'm so happy, it will be such fun to watch her grow!! She's about 1" in size right now and I believe she'll grow to be 2" at least by the time she's full grown! In fact, if she's the same kind that I've seen in a web once years ago, she could have a diameter of 5" when full grown!! OH I HOPE SO!!! AWESOME!!!! (Just so we're CLEAR: it would NOT be awesome to have this spider crawling on me!!! But as long as she's in her web...AWESOME!!! :D :D :D)

WE HAVE WINNERS FOR THE SPIDER NAME CONTEST!!! Thank you all for your comments, favorites and to all of you who tossed a name (or more) into the hat! You guys really know how to make my day!! 19 people submitted entries: jofolo: Othello • Stephanie Calhoun: Odessa • JimbobEdsel: Hubert G. Glowerby • koaxial: Shelob • Nick Stewart: The Bard • Old Owl: Boris • Christina Port: The Golden Spinner • Levina de Ruijter: Daddy Long Legs • Dave Hilditch: Boris • tiabunna: Sir Walter • philanker2012: George Clooney • Angela Healey: George, Fred, Sarah • James E410: Incy Wincy • Trevor Grant: Fabulous Pharaoh • Cathlon: Octivia Goldbottom • Shuttering Yukon: Oh Gross (She is bad and evil and I am going to wish her into the corn field!) • Fran Wylie: Porsche, Camero • Pam J: Miss Rainbow Ballerina Silk Stockings of Briens-Manor • Deborah Lynn: Juliet The names I picked were "Porche", from Fran Wylie (which I changed the spelling to Portia), Odessa from Stephanie Calhoun, and Goldbottom from Cathlon! I also want to give a special honorable mention to Pam J for her extravagant and awesome "Miss Rainbow Ballerina Silk Stockings of Briens-Manor", and of course, a huge round of applause to all of you for the super names--it was REALLY HARD TO PICK and I loved them all!!!

3 pictures in notes above! :) I went outside this morning to water my garden and as I trotted down the few stairs from our porch, I glanced at the walls to see if there were any critters to investigate. I was looking at the wall where our Rhodedendron bush grows and suddenly I saw a shape that grabbed my attention...could it be?!! NO WAY!!! *Janet bounces up and down in excitement* A GOLDEN ORBWEAVER SPIDER!!!! AT THE HOUSE!!! YES!!!!!!! I am crazy about these spiders and yet I have had very little luck finding them on our property. I did find one two summers ago when I was using my point and shoot camera, but I have always wanted to take a picture with my new camera. Last year I looked and looked with no luck. This year, I've been searching but didn't find any either. But it appears that I have a new friend who's found ME!!! HOORAY!!! I'm hoping this spider will stay here for a while, and in case it does, I think it should have a NAME!! This is where YOU come in!! SPIDER NAMING CONTEST!!! (She's a girl!) Last September when I found my baby Cat-Faced Orbweaver spider on our porch, I had a naming contest! It was a lot of fun to choose Roscoe Frank McCrawlerson from everyone's names, and I thought I have another naming contest for this spider! (I found out that she is a female after asking at Bugguide.com!) If you have a nice name, put it in a comment, and after a few days I'll pick the winner! You can choose a name with one name or if you like, you can come up with a first, a middle, and a last name! However, it's possible that I might take just a part of that name for the winning name--let's find out! LET THE BEST NAME(S) WIN!!! William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 (baptised) – 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His extant works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and a few other verses, the authorship of some of which is uncertain. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Wikipedia: William Shakespeare Explored on July 22, 2012. Highest placement, page 2 (#44).

I am so excited about this picture! I absolutely LOVE these spiders (even though they scare me to death) but I had never seen one on our property before. I've been searching for them in our meadow all summer without luck. Yesterday, while my husband and I were picking blackberries, I looked around for any telltale webs, and to my surprise, LOOK AT WHO I FOUND! HOORAY!!!! This image was taken on my property in August, 2011.