(BTW - today marks the beginning of the downswing in summer temperatures for Athens. From here on out average daily highs (90 degF) and average nightly lows (69 degF) decrease. That’s average, of course. This morning it was 60 degF, unofficially matching a record set in 1989.)

This is the time of year, well into the last half of summer, when you encounter this little orb weaver. The webs are invariably constructed, at eye level, directly across whatever path you care to take, and you don’t see the tiny things until you’ve blundered into them. Arachniphobes are a joy to behold as they deal with this sort of thing.



That’s Micrathena sagittata, or Arrow-shaped Micrathena, and besides the inevitability of the encounter, it’s the weird body shape that’s most obvious about it. It has greatly enlarged tubercles that have given its abdomen this shape.

It’s also capable of giving a tiny but noticeable nip, or so say I. But then I also say that if you let a lady bug prowl about on your arm long enough, it will give you a little bite too.

These spiders are also damn difficult to photograph. They’re generally deep in the shade, which almost demands the use of flash. But their abdomens are also highly reflective on the back, resulting in a photo that looks like this:



And speaking of time of year, it’s also about time for Year Six festivities to commence: