Another sign that the season is changing—the large September spiders are popping up everywhere. This rather imposing spotted orb weaver (Neoscona crucifera) placed her web just outside our front door, and I have to be careful not to let the screen bump into it. Orb weavers are common spiders in Virginia, but it’s still arresting to watch one up close! She hides during the day, and once it gets dark and the front light comes on, she perches in the center of her huge web and waits. She’s almost two inches long, and her web is about two feet across. I’ve watched as a large moth, flying towards the light, got caught on the periphery of the web. The spider instantly pounced. I could hardly believe that something so still could move so quickly! Holes in the web attest to her activity, but she’s working overtime to lay her eggs as orb weavers can’t survive freezing temperatures. Watching her is fascinating, but it does give me shivers. Then I remember that the spider in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web was an orb weaver (Araneus cavaticus), and she was certainly an astute observer of all that went on around her. If only this spider could talk!