She's a Mother!
I have written down all about my encounters with this spider in my blog.
On September 12th, just after the first autumn rain, I found out that the Wolf Spider that lives in my garden (Lycosa praegrandis), had closed the entrance to her lair (see the photo below, on the first comment), using whatever debris she found around. I assumed that she was hibernating and was expecting to see her again in spring.
But on this Saturday I was in for a surprise: I saw that she had once more opened her lair. At first, I thought that maybe the water from the recent heavy rains managed to flood her tunnel and she was forced out by that. Anyway I thought this was a great opportunity for some more captures and I tried to get her out the usual way (teasing her with a small twig). In the past, whenever I tried that, she was quick to get out of the lair and attack the twig, but this time, no matter how many times I teased her, she would kick the twig with her two front legs, touch it with her palps, even bite it with her fangs, but she refused to get her fat belly out of the tunnel!
I thought she was just being lazy and eventually gave up and decided that I would settle for a shot of her posing at the entrance. I took a couple of photos and saw that only part of her legs and a little bit of face was visible and although I hate using the flash (because I think it gives her a goofy look with one blue eye and one red!), I fired it up, in order to get as much of her hidden body as possible. That's when I realized the real reason why she refused to expose her whole body! She's full packed with spiderlings!!! I think "congratulations" are in order for her! :-)
She's a Mother!
I have written down all about my encounters with this spider in my blog.
On September 12th, just after the first autumn rain, I found out that the Wolf Spider that lives in my garden (Lycosa praegrandis), had closed the entrance to her lair (see the photo below, on the first comment), using whatever debris she found around. I assumed that she was hibernating and was expecting to see her again in spring.
But on this Saturday I was in for a surprise: I saw that she had once more opened her lair. At first, I thought that maybe the water from the recent heavy rains managed to flood her tunnel and she was forced out by that. Anyway I thought this was a great opportunity for some more captures and I tried to get her out the usual way (teasing her with a small twig). In the past, whenever I tried that, she was quick to get out of the lair and attack the twig, but this time, no matter how many times I teased her, she would kick the twig with her two front legs, touch it with her palps, even bite it with her fangs, but she refused to get her fat belly out of the tunnel!
I thought she was just being lazy and eventually gave up and decided that I would settle for a shot of her posing at the entrance. I took a couple of photos and saw that only part of her legs and a little bit of face was visible and although I hate using the flash (because I think it gives her a goofy look with one blue eye and one red!), I fired it up, in order to get as much of her hidden body as possible. That's when I realized the real reason why she refused to expose her whole body! She's full packed with spiderlings!!! I think "congratulations" are in order for her! :-)