Saturday, September 17, 2011

Garden Encounter

I met this handsome spider in my herb garden a few days ago as I was performing a yearly chore. The garlic chives that make ornamental V's in the box beds are hardy and attractive but, left to their own devices, they will self-sow like mad.
 So every year I make a point of cutting off the spent flowers and ripening seed heads before they drop those little black seeds everywhere.
There was one problem: Ms. Spider's web was attached at one end to a garlic chive flower. She crouched there, staring at me with all those eyes, and I couldn't bear to destroy her lovely web.
So we came to an accommodation: I carefully trimmed away all the flowers except the one her web was attached to.  (Click on the picture to biggify and see if you can find Ms. Spider.)
And she did a little repair where I'd blundered into her web before noticing her.
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18 comments:

Ms. A said...

She's very glad you are so tolerant of nature!

Martin said...

I don't think we can biggify any longer, due to Blogger's new slide-show arrangement for photographs.

Brian Miller said...

wow she is big...i see her in the look and find pic...and how nice of you...

Wayfarin' Stranger said...

She's a big girl, all right, and beautiful as well. And she'll earn her keep in your garden! Jim

Thérèse said...

Red, orange and black. I am jealous: ours are bi-color, except for the black widow of course.

JJ Roa Rodriguez said...

Now i know where to stay if i got no place to live. In your premises... You are wonderful!

Have a blessed weekend!

JJRod'z

Christine said...

She's quite a lovely girl! I believe she's from the orb weaver family.

Vicki Lane said...

Well, phooey! Martin's right -- no biggifying. Curse you, Blogger!

Jill said...

So beautiful!! I love seeing those. Had one on my giant pumpkin last year. Have a fantastic weekend.

Tracy Golightly-Garcia said...

It's great what nature has given us to view.

Have a great evening!

Best
Tracy :)

jennyfreckles said...

What a soft heart you have, Vicki. I find spiders in my house that are huge and probably as old as the house itself. They don't get to stay... they get carried outside in a glass and dumped!

Friko said...

She'll be eternally grateful and send you all her babies next year.

Frances said...

I like they way that you and Spiderwoman have found a way towards compromise. Your photograph of her and her weaving are very striking, and really do show her determination.

Best wishes.

THINGS YOU'D NEVER GUESS ABOUT ME said...

she will not bite...she will not bite...she...

By their sheer size that particular spider - as well as the wolf spider, scares the bejesus out of me.

Harbinger said...

Lovely pictures of your visitor! So glad that you saw her before cutting.

Kath said...

She's is a beauty. I adore seeing dew laden spider webs in the early morning.

Wonky Girl said...

Beautiful spider. She looks like a golden orb weaver. I had a smaller version on my garden wire fence, she was smaller and green with yellow. I think a bird got her :(

Deanna said...

Our government leaders could learn a lot from you and Mr. Spider.