frighteningly beautiful...

Ok, I know this post may frighten some of you away (like Little Miss Muffet), and I apologize in advance for that... but I couldn't resist showing you this little beauty! I was on a walk the other day and saw this lovely rose. It was so amazingly bright and beautifully-colored that I could not pass by without examining it more closely:

Well, as I stepped in close to take a gander and a big sniff, I noticed a great big spiderweb connected to it...and on the great big spiderweb was a great big spider! (go figure!) I guess Ms. Spider was just about as startled as I, and though I quickly turned my camera to her instead of the rose, she just as quickly scrambled away... right ONTO the rose!! (look at the bottom of the flower above)

She was a wonderful speciman with such a marvelous pattern on her that I had to get a closer look! She, as you can see in the photo below, was shy, and darted under the petals of the rose, thinking she was out of my view: I, however, was just as determined as she, and waited a bit for her to relax her guard and crawl down the stem to see whether or not I was still lurking about (and yes, I was!):I wanted to share this amazing little creature with you because she is so striking! Her coloring and pattern are fabulous!! Let's go in a bit closer so can admire her detail... (If you have a bit of arachnophobia, just try to suspend reality for a few moments and pretend she's something else, if you can...she really is awesome!)Check out the intricate pattern on her back and sides (and those hairy legs! my goodness!!)

...and that furry head!

You have to admit she's really kind of cute, in her spidery sort of way! : ) Well, after a few moments and several close-up photographs, she decided I wasn't going to smash her, so she settled into her kick-back hang-upside-down-and-relax pose for a final shot:

Personally, I think she was beginning to enjoy the photo shoot and was trying to show off her 'best side.'

Thanks for bearing with me on this one, as I simply could not keep myself from sharing such a marvelous little creature! I love the way God is so creative and detail-oriented! And I thoroughly enjoy His use of color and patterns even on things which most people run shrieking away from instead of stopping to admire His handiwork! He really is an incredible Artist!

(for a couple of very entertaining spider stories, check out these two links-- My Daddy and the Spider and A Spider Gets Notice To Quit. I read these, and they SO made me laugh!!)