Golden Silk

Spotted this impressive female Golden Silk Orb Weaver Spider at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens this morn as Fletcher and I walked through what can only be called an intense sauna experience! Although the temp was 'only' 86F at 9:00am, the humidity was 76% with a dew point of 79%!  Water stations are provided for dogs throughout the Gardens, and the Big White Dog never complains. However, he did almost lose his mind when a small armadillo sauntered across our path! hahaha
Golden Silk Orb Weaver Spiders, aka Banana Spiders, construct amazing webs. This one's probably measured at least six feet from top to bottom. Female GSOWs are much larger than males and are not aggressive toward humans. They will bit, however, if handled roughly. Their bite is not 'seriously venomous'. They can capture large insects and even lizards in their webs. When I was a kid, we would toss raw hamburger into their webs...you know...for a 'treat'!