Prickly smile

If I were to choose one adjective to describe the Chilcotin, I would have to go with "scratchy". Everything seems to be sharp-edged, jagged, unforgiving. Itchy, like one of those rough wool sweaters Mom made us wear in the winter.

Even the spiders are prickly.

Spider in her web, Bull Canyon

I tried to get her to move, so that I could get a clear photo of her shape, but all she did was pull her legs in closer, even fold them across her back. Maybe, in her environment, it is wiser to look like a piece of dust than a threatening, leggy spider.

But, otherwise, she's friendly enough; do you see the smiley face on her back?

Update: She's Araneus gemmoides, the Cat-faced spider,

They come in varying colors but are easily identified by the two horn shaped growths on their relatively large abdomen. (Wikipedia)