Linda was wondering about a spider she once encountered. Well, things do look bigger when we’re children, and maybe we don’t remember them with photographic accuracy. But Mr. Nature gave it a try, and he thinks he’s able to identify this big green hairy spider that surprised Linda when she was 12 years old.
Behold the Green Lynx Spider, the biggest green spider found in North America, inhabiting the southern U.S. It’s hairy, it roves around hunting its prey, and has a body a little over half an inch long–which is big for any spider that’s not a tarantula.
And you know how the mind works: if the average Green Lynx Spider’s body is .6 inches long, then there are probably bigger ones than that.
This reminds me of an even bigger bug–the Cecropia Moth. Now, sadly, growing rare.
A moth in the hand is worth two in the bush
One pleasant summer day, my father left me in the car while he nipped into the store. As I sat there, suddenly something big came fluttering along to alight for a moment on the hood: a Cecropia Moth that looked to me, a 10-year-old, as big as a crow! It was the only one I’ve ever seen, but I’ll never forget it. It wasn’t really as big as a crow–it goes to show the limitations of eyewitness testimony.