by Pamela Neeley
Suddenly, in last two weeks, the garden spiders are out.
I went on a walk, around my house, and found all of these lovely yellow-and-black spiders. They have carved out distinct territories for themselves and are working on their signature web patterns. This one is on the carport.
The photo with shadow may be my favorite house spider photo. Many of the spiders look like dancers caught in mid-leap.
This next one is dancing under the eaves on north side of house. Her distinct patterns and colors are so fresh.
This one is the biggest and fattest. She set up her kingdom between buildings, but on the west side of my tool shed. That’s the best setup for dramatic photos.
Where do the garden spiders live the rest of the year? Why are they here now (hopefully the answer is grasshoppers) instead of July? I only found one spouse spider “shell,” by the way.
Here’s a minute-long YouTube video I found of a garden spider spinning her web.
And here’s a video Sue Ann Kendall made of one wrapping up a grasshopper for dining on later (39 seconds).
Nature Along the El Camino Real 