nature — Page 17

Along Came a Spider

September 7, 2012 at 7:53 am by Claudia

It was early evening yesterday when I went out to check on the zinnias and sunflowers. Timing is everything. So is the light. Because the light was just right, I saw a huge web, attached to a couple of zinnias and the purple hyacinth bean vine. And I saw this magnificent creature, spinning silk around her prey.

The prey is a stink bug, I think.

Do you see those markings?

She is at least 4 inches long, including her legs. I think her body is about an inch long. Very big spider. I was in awe. She may be the most beautiful spider I’ve ever seen.

Of course, after taking about 40 pictures, I ran inside to google ‘black and yellow spider.’ A photo, not unlike mine, immediately came up. Her name? Argiope Autantia commonly known as the black and yellow garden spider, or the writing spider, or corn spider. According to Wikipedia, that dense center area of the web is called a stabilimentum. Some think it acts as camouflage, which is what I was thinking. She stayed very close to this area of the web. Others think it might attract prey. Each night, she will consume the circular interior part of the web and then rebuild it the next morning with fresh silk. That stink bug was injected with venom and then the spider wrapped it in cocoon of silk, which is where I came in.

You, dear readers, may not like spiders. I don’t mind them at all. But even if you don’t particularly like them, you have to admit this is a beauty. I was so fortunate to see her, in just the right light. My little camera came through for me. Thanks little Canon bridge camera!

I went out this morning. Sure enough, she rebuilt the center:

I feel like we’re buddies now.

Don’t forget, our weekly party starts tonight. I’ll have the post up and ready for you to link at 8:00 pm EST.

Oh goodness. I forgot to draw a winner for the book giveaway. It’s Lynn! Congratulations, Lynn. I’ll drop you an email.

Happy Friday.

A Walk, A Gift, An Update, A Party

August 27, 2012 at 9:15 am by Claudia

Lately, we’ve been taking long walks on our local rail trail. We don’t take nearly enough advantage of it. We’re trying to change that. A brisk walk is good for the soul, the body and the mind.

The sun was bright – it was high noon – and I was shooting with my iPhone – so there’s a bit of graininess.

A couple of days earlier, these beauties were off in the distance; yesterday they were right by the fence.

Could that baby be any more adorable? And mom had the most beautiful eyes. I’m glad I’m a vegetarian.

That’s the ridge in the background. We have that same view, especially in the wintertime, from our little cottage.

And look who we found on the path:

It’s been a week now since we lost Riley. Each new day brings a small measure of healing. I’ve been watching Scout closely and I can tell she is not herself. She looks for Riley. She does that nesting thing – pawing at the rug – far more than she used to, and she does it a bit obsessively. She used to do it on the rug in the den. Now she also does it on the rug in the living room where Riley spent most of his time. She’s very clingy. She’s anxious. She doesn’t understand why Riley isn’t here and it is deeply upsetting to her. We are showering her with attention and love. But the poor thing is a bit lost and lonely for her brother. So am I.

My friend Judy sent me a package which arrived on Saturday. Enclosed was a beautiful sympathy card with a little note saying “these might bring a smile to your face.”

You’re darn right they do! You know I love these little elfin creatures called Nisse. If you remember, Judy handmade one for me a few months back when we did a swap. I sent her one of my Obsession Scarves. This was such a wonderful surprise. Thank you, Judy. By the way, Judy has a new blog called 20 North Ora (the same name as her wildly successful Etsy shop) and I know she’d love it if you dropped by.

I hope all of my readers find their way to my new site here on WordPress. If they’ve subscribed via Google Friend Connect, they are not going to get my feed. If you know of someone looking for the blog, please send her/him my way. It’s the same URL and it’s easy to subscribe to my feed.

This Saturday, September 1st, will be the first A Favorite Thing party. I sure hope you can join in. Every week, we will share a favorite thing; whether it’s a cherished antique, a book, a piece of furniture, a vintage find. It could be a camera or a laptop or a new washing machine (goodness knows, my laptop and camera are among my favorite things!) I will post the necessary link information on Friday evening around 8 pm and it will stay open for linking through Sunday.

Quick question: Are these photos too large for you? I’m experimenting – they are a little large for my 13″laptop screen but I know readers like large photos. Let me know what you think. Update: I think they might be too large, so I changed the size.

Have a wonderful Monday.

In the Garden: What is it?

August 24, 2012 at 8:24 am by Claudia

Since Riley’s death, Don and I have been sticking close to home. Crowds irritate us. Normal, everyday activities and conversations irritate us. Our world has changed, yet everything else around us seems to go on as usual. Yesterday was the first day I’d ventured out since Monday. And I couldn’t wait to get back home. I think this is fairly normal. We just want to be here in our cottage, with Scout, and shut the rest of the world out.

One thing that gives me comfort is nature. I walk around the property, camera in hand, and sometimes see something that is so compelling, I am pulled out of my mourning for a moment in time. The other day I saw a creature darting from flower to flower among the phlox. It moved very quickly. At first, I took it to be a hummingbird. But as I looked more closely, I realized it wasn’t a hummingbird.

It had a hairy body, clear wings and it moved as quickly as a hummingbird does. So quickly that I barely got this shot. I came back in the house, grabbed the laptop and quickly found out that this little guy is a hummingbird moth. Often mistaken for a hummingbird, hemaris thysbe, or hummingbird clearwing moth, is attracted to white or pale flowers with a sweet scent – hence, the visitation to my phlox. If you visit the link, you’ll see a great close-up of the moth’s body.

It feeds through a proboscis – the long tube that you can see in this close-up:

The proboscis curls up under the moth’s head when it’s not feeding. Amazing.

Many of you may already know about this creature, but it’s my first sighting and the discovery of it among my flowers provided a little respite from my grief.

I wasn’t planning on posting today, but I was scheduled to run the ad at the top of the post, so I forced myself to. Good thing: I was able to share this little wonder with you. I’ll be moving the blog over the weekend so hopefully all will be in place by Monday. Wish me luck!

Have a happy Friday.

Along Came a Spider

A Walk, A Gift, An Update, A Party

In the Garden: What is it?

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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