Spiders

Okay, so we have spiders. Yes, plural. Fortunately, I do not notice them in the house - I think those hide really well. But the outdoor spiders have made themselves very at home. There is one that likes the space between the garage and the porch. It weaves this enormous, perfectly round web between the three stabilizers. You have to walk under it to get from the back porch to the driveway. It hides behind the light during the day. But at night it is very active, spinning and catching things. It's got a fat round brown body, and striped legs. I watched it spinning one night - it's amazing the precision that it uses to make the web. Perfectly formed every time.

The second one that has made itself at home is the same shape and color, but it likes the branches of the magnolia bush. It's also huge - and makes a perfect, intricate web in the space between branches. It's a little more shy though as it hides under the leaves during the day, but it is not out every night.

Finally there are two around the garage and in the tree. One night I came out and both had made webs that stretched from the lowest branches of the tree to the grass. One faced North the other East. Huge, fully made webs. The north facing spider was sitting right in the center, waiting. But the East facing spider had caught a big green bug that looked like a leaf. It was in the process of killing it while I watched. This big green bug took up the whole middle of the web - it was an amazing catch.

There was one out front about the same time - again, the web went from the lowest branches to the grass in a big round web between three stabilizers.

I don't know why I am so fascinated. They aren't scary although I admit that I would not want to accidentally walk into the webs. I'm just mesmerized every time I walk out there and catch them weaving. Makes me think of the Greek Myth about Arachne and her spinning. Okay, that's all - just spiders, and webs.