Black Widow Spider

Just as a note of caution... Nancy and Tom of bed number 40 noticed a black widow spider recently in their garden.

Black Widow Spider
found at Green Meadows!

The photo to the right depicts one found under the rocks by my own bed at Green Meadows last October.  I brought this one home in a baggie to make sure we identified it correctly, yikes!

While we don't have black widows crawling all over the garden, they have been spotted on occasion and most often during the autumn when they are highly active.  Black widows are one of the more common dangerous spiders found in our area and their bites do require medical attention.

Please take extra caution when moving items around and next to your garden beds.  Folded up frost blankets, rocks, and bags of dirt all make excellent hiding spots for these little guys.

For those who would like additional information on the spiders, the University of Michigan has some pertinent facts.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Latrodectus_mactans/ - link to the University of Michigan's article on black widow spiders.

This link contains excellent photos and was sent to us by Amy at the extension office.

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/URBAN/SPIDERS/black_widow_spider.htm -link to the black widow article from the University of Florida.

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29