By Lizbeth Jones
Whether Spiders give you a thrill or send you running, Bainbridge in early autumn is the perfect place to spot arachnids and their architectural wonder works.
Although you might prefer spiders and their silken threads to appear only in haunted Halloween tales, the Pacific Northwest is home to a variety of gangewifre (Old English for “a weaver as he goes”) like the famed Hobo, for whom August and September is prime mating season.
The males—usually hidden away in dark, dry places like bushes or woodpiles—leave their webs and go on the prowl for a mate. The females are likewise active, building silken fortresses around forming egg sacs.
All that amore explains the uptick in the masterful webs—and the eight-legged spinners themselves—that you’re likely to see nearly everywhere…including your home.
The commonly met Hobo, known for its funnel-shaped web, arrived from Europe by ship in the 1930s and slowly expanded across the region. It is sometimes mistaken for the venomous Brown Recluse.
Another oft encountered spider is Tegenaria gigantea, or the Giant House Spider. Because of their large size and hairy appearance, they are often erroneously called wolf spiders. But fear not, these whopping weavers are not only harmless, they also help keep out other pests from the home.
Still have the eight-legged creepy crawler heebie-jeebies? Consider this: in ancient Chinese culture it was believed to be a fortuitous sign if a spider dropped from the ceiling, as if from heaven.
