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K L A N D - October 4, 2004. If there is a large spider lurking over your
garden, chances are it is this Pumpkin Spider. Pumpkins spiders may vary
in color, but their bulbous abdomen is a constant feature. Pumpkin Spiders
show up every year just in time for Halloween. Their bright orange abdomens
look just like tiny pumpkins. Pumpkin Spiders are large. They will bite if
provoked. Pumpkins Spiders belong to a group of spiders called "orb-web spiders."
They sit in the center of a huge web that may be up to 8 feet. Females can
be huge, and reach 3/4 inch. That's pretty hefty for a spider. The dinky
males only grow to about 3/8 of an inch.