That's a Banana Spider...

Says my 5 year old.... We were sitting on my grandparents patio yesterday after lunch. I noticed a HUGE spider web in the bushes and made a comment about it. Carlie came running over wanting to look at it. Then she said "Yeah, and look at that big spider in it". We could only see the belly of it at that angle but it was HUGE HUGE HUGE. Seriously, the biggest spider I've seen in person without it being in a cage or on television. She ran to the other side of the bushes and proclaims "It's a Banana Spider Mom!!!". I thought she made it up because it had yellow on it, like a banana. That is, until I got home and started telling Rick the story and he asks "Was it yellow and black?" I said "Why yes it was". He said "Well that IS a banana spider". How the heck does my 5 year old able to name the species of spider when I've never even heard of a Banana Spider!

I decided to Google "Banana Spider" and I found some interesting facts about them. They are actually called Garden Spiders or Yellow and Black Garden Spiders. They are harmless to humans but will bite and leave a harmless welp. They usually do not enter houses. They make a zig zag of thick silk in the center of their webs called a stabilimentum. (The web that we saw had this and I thought it was really neat).