This year a few orb weavers made their home in the garden. I didn’t see half as many as last year, but more other types of spiders, I will get to them a a bit later as they are relevant. So a few small ones built their webs, and got bigger. Two seemed to have a set location, a pale brown one on the gooseberry bush in mostly full sunshine all day, and a darker, almost black and white one chose the compost bin in the datk corner of the garden.

Suprisingly, it was very difficult to photograph as always had the underside showing out and the angle of the web meant it was tricky to get behind it. Each night it would hide behind the same leaf, tucked in and almost perfectly hidden as Autumn moved and changed the leaves to be the same colour. Even still munching while resting.

It’s nice to be able to watch wildlife be in their natural envionment, just doing what they do.

This one always seemed to have goodies in his web and be scoffing something as he got bigger. Each day there would be some thing new in his grip. I thought to press record for one of his captures.

I liked checking on him every day to see how big he was getting, and if the web had managed to withstand weather and time. But it was neither of those that ended his short existence. It was the circle of nature. Those other spiders I mentioned earlier, this is where they become relevant. This year, there has been an increased number of noble false widows. They are many, and i have had to throw a few out of the house when i find them too. House spiders I usually let stay, but the others, they have to go.

Here is one I found in the house a couple of weeks ago – in the tub with drying poppy seeds no less, which my hand had been in not long before to get some seeds! It had quite high plastic so it was a bit stuck. I helped it out and put it outside. And I found a moth chrysalis in the same tub as well just after, which appears to have bust out of one of the poppy heads. There is so much more going on that meets the eye.

Here is the chrysalis – I believe it an angle shade moth one, but am still learning when it comes to identifying things.

So, back to the original story. The orb weaver, was going about his business but it would seem he may have strayed to far beyond his ‘patch’. Or maybe it was that the neighbour was jealous of his daily catches, we can’t be sure at this point. But what we do know is that at point between nightfall and the next day, something occured which ended this spiders journey. I was sad for him, not gonna lie. I came out one morning to find this scene of horror before me.

Not quite what I was expecting, but it was done. Nature and the circle of life had struck with full force. It is what it is. Like I said, we have quite a few of the noble false widows. It took this one a while to work out the logicstics of getting his catch into his lair, but he managed it eventually before the rains came, so I think he should be fine for a while.

It doesn’t always go well, and not everyone is going to make it. But life goes on…

(c) K Wicks

If you would like to see some other spider posts of mine – you can check them out here

Garden Spiders UK

Orb Weaver Spider UK

Crab Spiders

Noble False Widow

Jumping Spiders