Each of the boys has called me outside in the past couple of days to show me "something amazing!" We saw one of these gals a week or so ago, but here is another one right next to the house. It is a Black and Yellow Argiope.
At the bottom left of her web, we saw this:
Apparently her egg sac, containing 300-1400 little spider eggs! Oh my!
The boys also pointed out the presence of some a Tent Caterpillar at the bottom of the stairs. They didn't remember the name, but they knew that this species isn't good for the trees in our yard.
Next, on the way back up the deck stairs, I saw a pretty Black Swallowtail Butterfly flying around up there. I called out to the kids who said that maybe our butterfly had come back. When I reached the deck, I looked down to the parsley plant to the left and what should I see, but a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar chowing down on the leaves. This one was all alone and that is where I left him (or her). But the boys enjoyed thinking that maybe our butterfly had come back "home" to lay her eggs. As you can see, the parsley has come back just in time!
Well there it is--the same spider! Pretty neat.
Posted by: Suzanne Temple | September 13, 2007 at 08:25 PM
Well there it is--the same spider! Pretty neat.
Posted by: Suzanne Temple | September 13, 2007 at 08:26 PM