It's funny how things can change. I was once unable to rest if I saw a spider in the same room as me. My stomach would tighten, worrying the next time I saw the spider it would be rappelling above my head. This often did not happen, but fear can make us think crazy things.

Once, when I was 12, I got into a car with some friends who were hanging out at my house. My mom was dropping them home. I looked up and immediately became horrified to see hundreds of tiny, newly hatched spiders dropping from the roof of the car. I saw them in my friend's hair. We jumped out of the car shrieking and head-banging as if we were at a metal concert to shake the the spiders out of our hair. For the longest time after that, I gave every car a "spider check" before hopping in.

Such a silly phobia, I now realize. It took me several years of photographing, researching, and handling spiders to overcome that creepy-crawly fear I felt from spiders and their webs. It bothered me to have such a fear, considering I had been playing with bugs since elementary school. Spiders were the one exception... arachnophobia is so deeply ingrained in many of us.

The truth is... spiders rarely bite. And if when they do bite, if you're in the US, the odds of encountering one with hazardous venom are extremely low. At this point, I have handled hundreds of spiders. Many I had to coax into climbing on my hand, as it turns out they don't really like crawling on people. Even when I have been persistently annoying with attempts to handle wild spiders, they have never bit me. They often try to flee. If you plan on handling spiders, and aren't used to them, just research to see what their body language looks like when they feel threatened. Many spread and raise their front legs, lifting the front of their body to appear taller, while in a frozen-still position, sometimes exposing their fangs. If you see that, you don't want to touch the spider. There are exceptions... for example, jumping spiders often stick their arms out and sort of quiver their bodies right before they jump a long distance, which is not a threat, but be careful if they aim toward your face (many have done this in my experience, I think they like the eye movements).

I have only been bitten once by an arachnid. Not by a spider, but by a large Tarantula. A "domesticated" creature from a pet store. It was my fault for not recognizing it was stressed. Its terrarium had been placed on the floor, and the vibrations from my boyfriend's footsteps as he walked into the room stressed the creature and it bit me just as I had put my hand near it. I didn't freak out because I didn't want to hurt it. The pain was not nearly as bad as the bite or scratch from an annoyed cat. I slowly turned my hand over, gently laying the Tarantula on its back. I didn't know if this was typical protocol to disarm a biting Tarantula, but it worked and it released grip. I was thinking of dog-training, and when you have an overly aggressive dog, you must teach them to submit by holding them in place on their backs. I didn't let that one blip resurrect my fears. I've handled many spiders since, and also a scorpion from time to time.

Anyway, this is a photo I took of what I think is commonly known as the Cross Orbweaver. There are vertical white markings on its body, with some faint horizontal marks suggesting the shape of a cross. The spider has such beautiful, symmetrical markings in stark contrast to the chaotic, asymmetrical web. If you have a chance to watch an Orbweaver catching prey on their web, it's amazing how fast they can move. When they walk on land they are very slow, sluggish. Much unlike the "hunter" jumping spiders who only use webbing to rest, rappel, or secure eggs. Jumpers can move so fast on land, it looks like they teleport. These creatures are so complex and beautiful. That's all I have to say for now. :)