Gossamer Day

Last Thursday was Gossamer Day in the woods. It was a beautiful warm day, rare for November, and the sun was shining cheerily. My family went walking, and soon found ourselves wrapped in spiderwebs. I turned around, facing sunwards, and saw that the entire wood was filled with shining silver thread, running horizontal to the ground. It was mysterious and beautiful. I wonder why there was so much of it. Was it spiders or caterpillars? I never did find out. All I know is that it was a moment of rare beauty and I was glad to have experienced it.

Mantis vs. Garden Spider

My sister told me a lovely story about two top garden predators. Earlier this year, she placed a mantis very close to a garden spider's web, wondering how this fight might turn out. The Argiope spider approached the mantis quickly. However, it stopped when it got nearer and scuttled away. The mantis also appeared interested in the spider until it, too, decided that the battle wasn't worth it and crawled away.