Mary has got the bug. After our hot morning searching for spiders, I just wanted to kick back, take my shoes off, and cool down for a while. But nooooo…she had to drag me off to another local park to search for more. We visited Green River Park here in Morris, which has a lovely restroom that is thick with cobwebs (and also thick with squadrons of mosquitos waiting to lift off).
I charged into the men’s room, where I found this beautiful Steatoda borealis resting in a corner. I left her there, in case anyone wants to stop by and check her out.
Next, the ladies room. Mary checked it out first, lest anyone express any alarm at the strange man barging in with a camera. When it was safe, I went in and scooped up this dainty little Parasteatoda and her two (2) egg sacs. That pink backdrop is just my index finger. I meant to do that.
Finally, we patrolled the outside of the building and found a big burly Parasteatoda. She also had two egg sacs, not shown in this photo.
Net haul in 20 minutes work: two fertile females, four egg sacs. Next stop: the incubator!
No, not yet. Too hot to cross the street. I’ve got them on my desk, still, right next to my computer, and the two are very busy scurrying about, fussing over their egg sacs and filling the vials with webbing. There’s something soothing about it, kind of like having a fish tank.
Heh.
If I told my wife that I know a couple that spends their days together visiting public bathrooms looking for spiders! Actually I think she would get it. She kind of cultivates spiders herself. Plus, she collects plants. She hardly goes anywhere without collecting seeds or cuttings for starters.
After a tentative Leucauge argyrobapta earlier I just snapped a photo near the roof of my shed after the rain subsided that Seek is giving the vague ID of “cellar spiders” which I guess is a family level designation:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/9608
Not even going to drill down further into that. Actual cellars aren’t common in Florida because the water table. My shed used to be overrun with what I once suspected to be brown widows when I first saw them a few years ago but now think are thankfully long-jawed orb weavers. Well when you’re totally ignorant about spiders big orange spot on belly is a bit offputting.