CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

In addition to the cute, we have the not so cute, and while I don't mind these guys outside, I have a problem with many of them being inside. This doesn't necessarily mean they get squished, but most get an assist in finding the great outdoors again. ...Unless, of course, you are a white tail - and a big one at that. This little lady was sitting above the kitchen door. She was just over an inch long. I've been told these are spider hunters, which may explain why she was working her way through a web. These guys and gals, however, almost always get a lift outside... usually in a plastic container. ... usually after they've finished stuffing their faces.

We keep getting these little guys and gals coming inside. I don't know what particular species this one is, but it is some kind of wolf spider. I can't tell if it's a Lycosidae or a Venatrix (and if that sounds like some vampire clan, it's not my fault). More information on wolf spiders can be found at the following sites: http://www.lycosidae.info/identification/australia/ http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/pchew_brisbane/index.html http://www.findaspider.org.au/index.htm https://www.flickr.com/photos/australianspiders/collections/72157622669463297/ http://www.australasian-arachnology.org/arachnologists/framenau/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider http://australianmuseum.net.au/Wolf-Spiders

I see them when the weather warms, and then they go away again. Autumn was when this shot was taken, and now it's winter and they are gone. I will celebrate them again in spring when they re-emerge from wherever it is they have gone. You can find out more about the Australian leaf-curling spider here: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Leaf-curling-Spider

This not so little lady almost caused my son to leap out of his skin. He had called me out to photograph another spider, when I saw this large dark shadow on the fence about two metres behind him. It took me a little whle to realize this really was a huntsman, just the biggest, fattest huntsman I had seen in... oh, forever... Good thing they're not poisonous.

At least, I think it's a baby huntsman. I took this shot on November 24, 2013, while out near the back gate. The wire gives you some idea of the scale, but this little critter was around a centimetre total in diameter (including the legs). If it's a huntsman, it'll grow up to 20 cm across, including its legs. They are so cute, when they're little. Just cruising on the gate arch - hoping whatever built the web doesn't notice. And then someone shook the gate and he went nuts - this is the only half-decent shot of it in motion. It settled down again in a shadier part of the gate and sat still long enough for me to get this shot. Which is where I left it. Here's hoping it gets to grow up.