They're everywhere!
Another yellow garden spider, this time not in her web. The truck spooked her when I pulled into the drive; she bolted for cover and the movement caught my eye, else I'd have overlooked her.
(You would think it would be difficult to overlook a two-foot tall web, wouldn't you?)
I made it home without disturbing her the third day after discovering her; she was even calm enough to let me take a bunch of photos.
What a stunningly beautiful creature… Furriness makes spiders cuter, right? (Ok, tweaking the black and white levels to adjust the exposure did bring up a bit more color than shows naked eye. They're somewhat dusty looking in person.)
See? Bit drab. Here she is tucked up in the window frame where she spends most of the day.
And out again about an hour after sunset… (Have I mentioned lately how much I love my camera and image editing programs??? She glows!)
I nearly walked into another orbweaver's web at the end of my drive while taking pictures of the garden spider. Can you see her, in the purposefully curled-up the leaves at one of her web's anchor points? That's textbook behavior. (And ooh, was she unhappy when I lifted a leaf to peek in at her!) See above comment regarding image editing programs…
Found this wee thing when I was shooting the yellow garden spider. That unusually circular stabilimentum (zigzagging stuff in the middle of a web) caught my eye. (For scale, it's a little smaller around than a pencil eraser.) Book says young orb weavers will sometimes spin a circular stabilimentum. CORRECTION: Lined Orbweaver. Tracks and Signs of Insects... has an exact description (and nearly identical photo) of this wee one and her web. She's set up house just below the garden spider's web; I sure hope mum doesn't eat her!
Augh! Too. Much. Cuteness...
Be glad I'm not taking photos of the seriously creepy spiders that live in the house.
[UPDATE: Both large orb weavers have disappeared. :o( ]
[UPDATE to UPDATE: Found the garden spider again. :o) ]
