A Thing of Beauty

...is a joy forever. Or at least for the few months that it lives, which is all that this gorgeous lady will have on earth. She is a rare find in the Carolinas, a Silver Argiope(Argiope argentata), much less common in the Southeast than her larger yellow-and-black cousin, the familiar "Garden Spider", the Golden Argiope(Argiope aurantia). This species is usally found much further north and to the west of us, and this is in fact, the first adult specimen I've ever seen. She is simply stunning in her metallic beauty and show-off colors, so I feel privileged to have met her. She was photographed in my sister's back yard, about 20 miles from where I live, at my niece's first birthday party. Finding her, I almost felt like *I* got a present, too.

pitbulllady