In Praise Of Common Spiders

Don't be creeped out. Just look. Closely. Can you imagine being so small and creating something so big and beautiful (and useful!) every night?

This tiny web is in between some leaves on the lemon tree on the porch.  The dot in the center is the spider.  Look at the corners.  Isn't that construction just amazing?

Heading down the sidewalk and up high.

This web deserves a second look.

Somehow he or she created it to face two different directions!

This is my favorite place on the farm right now besides the barn - Spider Row.  There are ten BIG writing spiders out there this morning and at least ten younger spiders tucked below.  That's actually a pretty standard count.  Their webs line the entire side of the garage and do so every summer.

All the way to the end.

This is my current favorite - Lefty.  I wish I'd taken note of the date when I first noticed her, with her two missing front legs.  For some reason I assumed spiders didn't really live that long and Charlotte's Web was just a fantasy, but she's been here for weeks.  

And before you get freaked out seeing this spider wrapping up a moth, what if it that was a wool moth?  ;-)