A silver back spider with brown and black stripes on legs, white markings on bottom.
Tue, Nov 25, 2008 at 7:49 PM
Found this one on my steps in my backyard. I live in North Park, San Diego, CA. My backyard is a bug haven, it’s a canyon. My housemate wanted to kill it, but I punched him and let it free in the tree.
Toby Gersalia
San Diego, CA
Hi Toby,
Here at What’s That Bug?, we promote the peaceful cohabitation between insects (and their relatives) and the human species. One of our methods of education includes the Unnecessary Carnage section of our website where we post the unfortunate victims of a lack of tolerance. While we are thrilled to hear that this lovely Silver Garden Spider, Argiope argentata, is now safely living in a tree, we are somewhat nonplussed that the intervention led to an incident of domestic violence. We hope your housemate isn’t too badly bruised and that you two have reconciled. Perhaps together you can peruse our Unnecessary Carnage section and hopefully your future household will be one where your own appreciation of the “lower beasts” is shared. The Silver Garden Spider is harmless, though if carelessly handled, it may bite. The bite, though not dangerous, may produce a slight swelling and irritation in sensitive individuals.