mistressofmuses

Well, just the one spider actually. At least in pictures.

Last year, my mom and Taylor found a very nice big black widow in the house. She had set up a web in the main floor bathroom, and they left her there and named her Ophelia. (Named after Morticia's sister in the Addams Family. My aunt has two black widows in her barn that she named Morticia and Wednesday.)

Ophelia disappeared from the bathroom and next appeared right next to Taylor's computer. That was slightly too close for comfort, so they relocated Ophelia to the basement.

This year they've found a couple smaller black widows in the house. There was the one in the kitchen that was relocated outside in preparation for the cat last month.

And then, while I was over at my mom and Taylor's house this most recent time, my mom drew my attention to the wet bar sink...


A black widow in the sink!

I scooped her into a jar.


She wasn't completely delighted. And boy is she fast!

I gifted her to Alex. We named her Ophelia II, because while I have no proof that she is actually the original Ophelia's offspring, she could be.


I set up a habitat for her. Spare coconut fiber substrate from Berry Mad's habitat, some sticks, a couple rocks, a sideways glass flowerpot as a hide in case she wanted a dark spot.

She did not want a dark spot, and immediately set to building a web between two of the sticks.

I put a couple crickets into the habitat.


And she caught one! :D

She also looks quite a bit rounder than she did when I first caught her, so I'm guessing being well-fed is part of the classic widow shape.

We're assembling quite the collection of arthropods.