Ruby... not my neighbor. Keep reading.
I’ve just recently met some of my nearest neighbors. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to introduce myself to them before they had the chance, as an unexpected meeting with one of these gals could possibly end with a call to 911 followed by a trip to the ER. Knowing their venom is more toxic than that of a king cobra and generally having a bad reputation, I decided that a bit of verminating was in order.
I met this little lady hanging out on my power pole last night, a few steps away from my door. Her twin sister lived up in the starboard wheel well, but not anymore.
Yes, that's a red hour-glass, under a shiny black body. Her legs are maybe an inch long, with a body the size of a pea. Not the biggest spider, but surprisingly fast for their size. Very cool to see!
The Black Widows (plural) have chosen to leave webs and generally live under my trailer, in the wheel wells and beneath the rear bumper…a bit too close for comfort.
A few of these guys live near also, don’t yet know what type they are…but sure don’t look nice:
In all honesty the Black Widow is very common in this part of the country and for the most part don’t bother anyone. I will try to keep the outside and underside debris-free in hopes of discouraging them from sticking around.
I live in a corner lot, and probably the best spot in the the park. My only people neighbors are permanent, park-types and nice enough. They have a rather eclectic outdoor collection of Americana type arts and crafts spanning the entire width of fence behind their slot.
The sea theme is cute, but I kind of like the pink flamingos...
Having made the mistake of saying “sure I do” to the guy when asked if I have a tape deck in my trailer, I am now forced to listen to a 2 tape series on the secrets of financial prosperity, by Pat Robertson. There are more of these where this one came from, too.
I might be screwed.