Spiders?

Yes, this is a post about the eight legged, creepy-crawly things we call spiders!  Like most of you, I am not a fan of spiders.  Yet, as I was out and about the past several days I stumbled upon these two critters and was fascinated.

The first spider I am going to call a “banana spider” because it is yellow and black (I don’t know what it is really called – anyone want to enlighten me?).  I was walking through a field and saw some movement off to my left.  Pausing a moment, my eyes took in this large spider hard at work.  It was wrapping up the rather large grasshopper (below it in the pictures), making the web shake.  Amazed, I called the kids over to check it out with me.  While observing it all we had the “great idea” to catch another grasshopper and throw it in the web so the kids could watch the spider wrap it up.  (I know, poor grasshopper – but a spider has to eat too!)  After several failed attempts at tossing a grasshopper into the web (I am sure those grasshoppers took a deep sigh of relief and then cheered happily!) we finally got one to stick in the web.  Sure enough, the spider scurried over and began to wrap away.  Interestingly, the spider stayed still but turned the grasshopper around and around to wrap up it’s meal!  Then it went back to the center of the web to wait again.  Needless to say, the spider ate well that day, we are down two less grasshoppers to munch on the crops and we all learned a little something!  🙂

Actually, the second spider is not the focal point of the pictures.  In fact, I hardly noticed the spider at first.  It was the web the spider had painstakingly created that caught my attention!  I was out taking care of some chores as the sun was coming up and this web was backlit and highlighted in such a unique way!  I ran back into the house to grab my camera and returned to take a few pictures super quick!  As I was taking the aforementioned “few” pictures a bug landed in the web and the spider went to prepare it’s next meal.  Again, I know nothing about this type of spider other than it seems rather small to have such a huge web.  🙂  Hard working little thing though, huh?  This type of web is the kind I really dislike running into unawares – set up between trees, you can’t see it and you walk right into it face first – a very disturbing experience!  Thanks to the sun I did not walk into this web and was able to actually enjoy the lovely spin job of this spider!