Banana Spider Captures Cicada: Animation

Death to the Noisy Al Qaeda Bug

Early this morning (about 5 AM) I headed out with the camera. It would rain later today.

The plan was, to walk the dog, shoot some bird photos, and get home before 9 AM.

It's unbelievably hot these days, in Okinawa; like August arrived early.

A couple of bird photos were captured but, these bug images turned out to be my favorite.

These bugs, I like to call Al Qaeda, start screaming as the weather gets hot and muggy.

Some folks like the critters, I suppose. I wish spiders would eat them all.

If you like, learn more about these Cicada at Japan Today.

Joro Spider (Nephila clavata) or Banana Spiders may be seen throughout Asia.

LOL, today I learned they call this a Whore Spider in Japanese mythology!

Check out my source: Spider Identifications

Happy Halloween from Japan's Legendary Spider Jorogumo

This photo was taken October 29, 2011 and I saved it just for Halloween.

In Okinawa we call them Banana Spiders but they are really Golden Orb-web Spiders.

Nephila clavata is what the scientists named them.  Some folks call them a Joro Spider.

There's a Japanese Folk Story about Jorogumo, the spider who can turn into a beautiful woman.

She tricks a guy into getting romantic and, I guess after he falls asleep, ties the poor soul up and eats him.  AHHHhhhhhhhh !  It's a HORROR STORY I read in WIKIPEDIA.

So, I just kept on digging on the internet, way past Wikipedia, to see if I could come up with something to scare the girls, too on Halloween.

It just so happens, a place called NATURIA something or other had this to say:

"The Male is so tiny that he can live in the female's web, stealing her food, often without her even noticing him.

She may not even notice that he has crept up and inseminated her!  Nevertheless, just to be sure, he usually does the deed when she is feeding."  End of Quote.  Ahem, ahum.....

LADIES BE CAREFUL WHENEVER YOU BEND OVER TO GET SOME MUNCHIES OUT OF THE REFRIGERATOR ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT.  SPIDERS COULD SNEAK UP ON YOU, TOO.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !