I found this "pretty lady" with the hourglass figure playing dead in my carport this weekend. She started kicking after getting swept into a plastic zipper bag so I could use her for a City Daily Photo post. Here, she is alive on top of the hood of my car (for photo purposes)! Other than eating her mate, these highly poisonous arachnids aren't too aggressive, but when they strike, they deliver their punch with a neurotoxin that can kill, especially if you aren't a healthy adult.
Now, in case you are wondering if my yard or neighborhood is overrun with poisonous critters such as this, that could be...BUT a neighbor said that black widows sometimes like to hide in garden flats, those plastic trays you bring your flowers and veggies home in for planting.
So, I remembered that we had stored a flat of tomato plants in the carport for a few days. On Friday, I moved the flat into the utility room due to brewing bad weather. The spider was right in front of the utility door.
