She is smart. You think an arachnid isn’t smart? Well, you would be wrong.
She got so big that even in the dark Jake noticed her. He began barking at her when she descended from her tree to sit in the center of her web. She’d cringe and scuttle back up into her hiding place in the tree.
Two days ago she vanished. Her web sat empty, yet Jake was barking like a lunatic at the fence surrounding my garden. I assumed she must be somewhere nearby but I sure couldn’t see her and I didn’t exactly want to feel around.
The next morning her web had vanished as well. Everything had been dismantled, including the thick anchor lines. I figured she’d packed up and evacuated the premises. Either that or died, but I leaned more toward evacuation since she took her web with her. Orb spiders do re-ingest their webs you know.
Early this morning I walked out to water my garden and discovered she’d shifted her web away from the fence. It’s now laid out in a diagonal over my first garden bed. Her anchor lines are attached to the tree on one end - maybe eight feet high - and to my ball squash plant on the other.
As you might imagine I was a little freaked out. I had to water around the web and pray she wasn’t hiding beneath a squash leaf when I was harvesting. I think she’s probably up in her tree during the day, but I’ll find out for sure tonight.
This solves her Jake problem entirely while still giving her access to bug heaven. She’s away from the garden fence so he can’t jump up and snag her web and since the garden is fenced and gated he can’t get in to disturb her… period.
What a smart little shit. Of course, she is a ‘she’.
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She’s baaaack.
Tim - Yaaaaaaaa!
LOL of course she’s a SHE.
I love her already!
Haaaaaa! Well, Charlotte was pretty damned smart. She could strategize. She could spell. And she didn’t even have spell check.
I thought you were going to show us a pic of her having written in silk: Dog! Shut Up!
Even so, this is pretty good.
Well, of course it’s a girl spider! She’d have to be a girl to be so smart and innovative. Plus, she’s now eating the bugs that would attack your squash plant, so she’s also helpful and giving, thus proving the girl thing.
Yes, Lorca. A girl who is good at math. She moved her web 45′.
I’m expecting to read that any day now, Jaye. It’s coming!
Yes Penny. A spider who can reason. Interesting… I’ve always been a fan of the goddess Arachne.
She’s very pretty for a spider, Casey, but with her size I sure don’t want her crawling on me. I do have to draw the line there.
Amber -
Just you wait until she finds her way into your bedroom and starts drinking from the corner of your eye during the night - see how much you admire her ‘smarts’ then and of course you’ll also then wish Jake had eaten her
lurvs Ya xx
Thanks, Tom. I just screamed and ran out of the room!
I would feel so paranoid doing the weeding with that lurking overhead. On the other hand, maybe she’ll keep the mosquitoes and biting gnats at bay.
Oh wow that is truly amazing..I love how nature and animals can amaze us this way.
Happy to see Charlotte worked it all out.
Well, Marie, here’s the thing- she hides all day, comes out at dusk and then retreats at dawn. I’m not quite sure if she’s hiding in my squash or in her tree. Now if she can catch some yellow jackets I will be thrilled.
Me too, Savannah!
She is Charlotte, Anny. Gotta be.
If you start to see “Smart Dog.” Runnnnn
Steph, I think if I see “Here doggie” then I should run.
I had no idea spiders moved webs. Of course the whole thing creeps me out. Not that I have a phobia of spiders. They’re cool in their own eight-hairy-legged way when they stay where I can see them.
Yes, spiders do move webs. Orb spiders are quite interesting. Thanks, Nina, for all your comments.
I think there’s a sci fi story here…..