# Black Widows In Northern Lower



## Perferator (Oct 18, 2003)

Back in the summer of '92 I'd taken a group of teens on a backpacking trip along the High Country Pathway. We camped atop the Rattlesnake Hills for the night. One of the guys was hollering at me to see the black widow he found. Of course I didnt believe him but figured whatever it was should be interesting.

When I saw the familiar and easily identifiable elegant shape with the orange hourglass on the belly.....yep, it was a Widow.

Up to that time I'd never thought a black widow in the wilds of Michigan was possible. But there it was. And when you have one, there must be others. Havent seen one since and probably never will.


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## outdoor junkie (Sep 16, 2003)

Found one in my shed in a box two summers ago here in mid Michigan.


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## FishermanJohn (Apr 24, 2007)

I've never seen one in the "wild" but they are quite common, actually. I find them almost every year in my shed here in Livonia. They pretty much just stick to themselves in a dark, quiet area and you don't notice them much unless you go looking for them.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Yep they're the Northern Black Widow, cousin of famous Southern Black Widow. I don't know if their venom is as potent or not but we don't seem to hear much about them:

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12204-36489--,00.html


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## anon12162011 (Jun 9, 2009)

Found several black widows in June in the Rogue River State Game Area off one of the parking lots...the most common place I have seen them are in the Oak/Pine Barrens, particularly the Karner Blue Butterfly type habitat of sandy soil, prairie grass, flowers, cactus, etc.


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## Rainman68 (Apr 29, 2011)

For some reason I hear Vincent Price in the back ground.........


Leaving Lepidoptera... Please don't touch the display, little boy. Oh-ho-ho... cute. Moving to the next aisle, we have Arachnida, the spiders, our finest collection. This friendly, little fellow is the Heptithilidae, unfortunately harmless. Next to him... the nasty Lycosa Raptoria. His tiny fangs cause creeping ulcerations of the skin. And here... my prize, The Black Widow. Isn't she lovely? And so deadly. Her kiss is fifteen times as poisonous as that of the rattlesnake. You see, her venom is highly neuro-toxic. Which is to say that it attacks the central nervous system; causing intense pain, profuse sweating, difficulty in breathing, loss of conciousness, violent convulsions, and, finally... uh, death. You know, what I think I love the most about her is her in-born need to dominate, posess. In fact, immediately after the consummation of her marriage to the smaller and weaker male of the specie, she kills and eats him. Oo-hoo, she is delicious! (And I hope he was.) If I may put forward a slice of personal phylosophy, I feel that Man has ruled this world as a stumbling, demented child-king long enough! And as his empire crumbles, my precious Black Widow shall rise as his most fitting successor!


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