Scribbles and Snaps

We have got a new quest in our garden — a spider. Yes, I know, not the most welcome guest, but I was thoroughly impressed by how resilient this little creature is. Last week the weather was pretty terrible. I mean not like “I have to remember my umbrella,” but rather “There is no freaking way I’m going out today.” It wasn’t particularly cold, but the cocktail of nasty wind and rain made any outdoor activity a miserable experience. Well, we could at least stay at home, and a warm plaid and copious amounts of tea made the existence more tolerable. All the poor spider had was a delicate web it managed to weave a few days before. For several straight days, the spider was dangling in its own web, exposed to the merciless wind and rain.

After four days of grueling weather, we thought that the unfortunate creature was dead. But as soon as the weather improved, the brave survivor woke up and started working on its web as if nothing had happened. Unfortunately, it decided to expand its woven empire from the window to a garden chair, so when I went out to refill our bird feeder, I accidentally tore a large portion of the web apart. The spider did look slightly disappointed, but it went to work once again, now focusing on areas around the window.

I’ve never been particularly fond of spiders — no matter their size and color — but I do now have a lot of respect for this little fella. There is one thing that still puzzles me, though. All this time, I haven’t seen any catch in its web. Either it’s a lousy hunter, or its diet doesn’t include flies and small insects. Also, does anyone know what kind of spider this is?