Today's JSVB entry features a rather large picture of a rather large spider I found yesterday. It's not a bad picture, but if you don't like spiders, please do not scroll down to see the picture.
Smile for the camera! I found this spider hanging by our front door. Her remarkable abdomen is about the size of the tip of my thumb. The flash from my camera makes her look very dramatic.
Armed with this picture, I researched on the Internet and found out what type of spider this is, likely a Jewel Spider. Judging by her size, she's a female. In Canada, the species lives in British Columbia and Alberta. They like to live on houses as they are attracted to lights. The Jewel Spider is an "orb" spider. Orb spiders tend to spin the very regular, round, stereotypical web like you would see from "Charlotte's Web".
Jewel spiders are common, but shy. The females attract notice since they get so big before they lay their eggs. Although they love eating flies, they probably would not bite a person. Even if you are bit by a Jewel Spider, you would likely only be mildy irritated. Despite their exotic appearance, the Jewel Spider is not considered poisonous.
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