those big spiders (we called them banana spiders, cause they were yellow) used to make huge webs between trees and the kids used to run into them all the time when in the woods. of course this was when we lived in Mobile - in AZ now, but planning to move back to NE Bama after retirement, hopefully in 6 years. we have tarantulas here in the desert, but have never seen one in the wild. Be careful, spiders can bite...
Debbie

Lived in Alabama for 7 years now (moved here from Chicago). I've gotten used to most of the creepy/crawly/slithery things down here, but oh lordy do those spiders creep me out. I can see three of them outside my kitchen window right now.

Starting in about mid-July I actually take the short path to my garden with a stick out in front of me. I've walked into too many webs not to.

I appreciate spiders! Spiders don't eat plants only insects and other spiders.

A long time ago, our sons named the Black and Yellow Garden Spiders "Charlotte". Our sons and DH were born in Charlotte, NC and....there's "Charlotte's Web";-)

Spiders are awesome and so are their webs.

Instead of destroying the web, I get the camera and take pics.

Black and Yellow Garden Spider

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A tiny Crablike Spiny Orb weaver

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Walking into a web is no fun (for you or the spider), but I've make my peace with spiders outdoors.

When they come indoors, though...

The large black & yellow spiders are beautiful and harmless when they set up in areas away from paths. I love looking at them and will let them be if not in my walkway.However, I think they move around as they get larger looking for better feeding areas. I have a small rake I keep handy when walking in my back yard at night and wave it in front of me. If I catch one I relocate it.I have come close to walking into one of those 4 inch orbs. I think I would have a heart attack If one that size actually got on me.They get huge.

OMG....those Golden Silk spiders (Nephila clavipes), AKA banana spiders are the worst when it comes to freaking out this (mostly) rehabilitated arachnophobe!

They really like anchoring their massive webs from tree to tree, where they hang at about eye level. When living in coastal SC, my career took a turn that led me to woodlands and undeveloped land doing tree jnventories and tree evaluations.....oh, the HORRORS. Lol

I carried a sawed off broom handle with me in the trunk of my car. Between those spiders and the snakes, it got a lot of use.

The Golden Silk spiders are different than those we commonly call garden spiders.....the Argiopes. Those ladies are pretty scary, too. I've got a couple of webs hanging from the eaves.

The spiders are harmless. They are totally uninterested in us clumsy, bumbling human types....even when we get caught up in their webs. Yes, all spiders can bite but these won't unless you make them....they do not carry a venom with a high toxicity level.

I haven't seen the Golden Silk spiders here in northern Alabama, but plenty of the big Argiopes.

Dorie

I saw one of those Spine Orb spiders in my backyard yesterday - both the spider and the web were sorta pretty.

While I was an evacuee from New Orleans due to Katrina, I was on a farm near Woodville, MS and there must have been at least a hundred each of the golden silk spiders and the black and yellow garden spider pictured above. Beautiful. Almost enough to cure me of my arachnophobia! I found out they would not eat the "Love Bugs" that were swarming at that time! So yes, spiders do have taste buds!

When I first moved to Alabama we lived in the country and used to get wolf spiders in the house, some of them palm sized. While I can maybe, maybe see myself finding the beauty in an orb weaver in about 15 years from now, nobody is ever going to convince me of the same with wolf spiders. I think I would find palmetto bugs beautiful before wolf spiders.

Babies! We have all this white stuff floating around, that at first appeared to be some kind of airborne seed - after catching a few, looking closely, and DH researching, it appears they are baby spiders with a "balloon" habit - fascinating!

I did not read it but noticed in the gas station the B'ham Sunday paper headliner was spiders on the rise with the heavy rain we have had. Had pictures of garden spiders and of course, black widow & brown lucrus. But I have not noticed any increase except for some garden spiders in my walkways which is no idication there are more.Walking through my backyard gate, my routine now is to open gate, stop and look.Like crossing a busy street.

I saw a crablke spiny Orb a couple of weeks ago. Cool looking! Not in my way so I left it as is to catch bugs.

They seem to be making bigger webs this year than ever! They won't hurt ya...just keep your mouth shut!

Funny, we have an absolutely huge orb weaver (spotted orb weaver I think) that has set up residence on the railing of our back porch. It is approx. 24" in diameter. She actually relocated the web after it started raining and it is now finished again as of this morning. Beautiful in the sunlight. I love watching the spiders, including the 'zipper' spider (the black and yellow garden spider) and almost any of them. Of course in the country, we do watch out for the brown recluse and black widows, but I find them fascinating. Snakes don't really bother me either as long as I can ID them and know they aren't a pit viper.

Until this summer I have never seen the Spiny Orb Weaver, then saw one in my back yard, This morning there was one on my front porch - the same one? There also is a Green Lynx Spider, which is a non-web sort, on one of my rose bushes - has a massive egg sac now. It was on my Tropical Milkweed - which does not bother me all that much, I have seen zero Monarchs so far.

There does seem to be a glut of spider webs out there this year. I've stopped walking under the clothesline altogether, and even if I can't see a web, I've been sweeping the air above the chairs on the front porch before sitting down.

Green lynx spider

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Gotta jump in on this fun discussion. I love the golden orbs and when kids visit, we walk in the lawn, sweeping our feet, looking for crickets and grasshoppers. Then we take them to a web, holding onto the back legs and feed the spider by gently placing it on the web. It's fascinating to watch them spinning the silk and enclosing the prey.

I also have a Brunton Macroscope which we use a lot. Kids say things like "Ms. Rosie, did you know that spiders have hair on their legs."

Glad I stopped by, from Sugar Hill, GA

Rosie

We have large trees all in our yard with new webs forming overnight, but our spiders have been remarkably intelligent this season -- they are beginning to build webs that are directly over our heads. I have a large dog and am outside with her constantly with my stick (waving it around like a moron to knock down webbing before it gets stuck in my hair!), and I guess they got tired of their webs being destroyed, so up they went.

I like spiders. It's roaches that throw me into an all-out panic attack.......and boy, does Mobile have tree roaches that can carry a human being off!!

I jumped out of my skin when a neighbor girl showed up at my back door. She apologized for startling me, said there was a huge web and spider across my front door. No way, said she.