September 13, 2013 by Born To Organize

Aren’t You Glad I Said Arachnid?

Nocturnal spider

The itsy, bitsy spider went…

Who am I kidding! This baby is huge! Spider, arachnid, eight-legged wonder. You can call it what you like, but these super-sized spiders make my hair stand on end.

I was enjoying a warm evening on deck with my hub, when he pointed out this nocturnal spider. The spider’s web stretched from the house to the Magnolia tree, across the ramp leading to the deck. By day, this arachnid must pack away her web, but once the sun sets, she’s open for business.

I say ‘she’ because my friend once suggested that I think of all spiders as female or as someone’s
mom making them appear less creepy. I’m not sure it helped.

Spiders are great for the garden. I’m delighted they’re here and appreciate the good work they do, reducing the non-beneficial bug population. It’s just that I prefer they do it when I’m not looking.

Waiting for dinner

April 18, 2013 by Born To Organize

Itsy Bitsy Spider

The birds aren’t the only ones laying eggs this time of year. I happened upon a newly hatched ‘family’ of spiders today. I put family in quotes, because honestly there were hundreds of them. They look big in the pictures, but they are as small as a pin head.

I was clearing dried leaves around the orange tree, tossing them into the compost bin. As I reached for a dried branch, I saw what looked like tiny flowers caught in a web. The ‘flowers’ however, were moving in different directions. Good thing I withdrew my gloved hand when I did. Our neighbors would have heard me scream like a B movie actress in a horror film.

Ferns under the orange tree

Ferns…at little closer

Ferns…closer still

I grabbed the camera and took several shots. Video would have been better, but I’m still not well versed with this camera. baby spiders on fern 4-18-2013 12-47-11 PM

Spiders up close: look, Ma, no hands!

Lindy came over to investigate. It’s not every day she finds me sitting in the ferns. Once I turned the camera in her direction, she went all feline on me and gave me the cold shoulder.

Lindy near the ferns 4-18-2013 12-47-58 PM

Lindy Lu

I have an interesting relationship with spiders. Indoors, they creep me out. I humanely remove them with my spider-catcher, and set them loose in the garden. Outside, unless they’re bigger than a quarter, I’m usually okay with them. When startled, however, I freak out. It’s the strangest thing.

How do you feel about spiders? Are you indifferent? Did you pass out at the first photo? Or are you as fascinated with nature as I am? Maybe all three.

October 28, 2012 by Born To Organize

Hostess Gift: A Praying Mantis

We hosted our 8th annual Halloween party this afternoon. Mother Nature graced us with a clear, warm, spectacular day. My sister and I enjoyed donning our costumes and posing for photos on the garden deck. My sister dressed as The Corpse Bride from the animated Tim Burton film of the same name. I made a dress to emulate artist and greeting card designer, Bela Pillar. Our friends came and went all afternoon. We had a blast.

Corpse Bride and Papyrus Greeting Card

One of the first guests to arrive lives just a few houses over. Bobbie and his son came bearing an awesome hostess gift: a full-grown praying mantis (mantid). They spotted it on the walk over and knew how much I would appreciate it. Awesome!

We all gathered around the plant to watch the mantid in motion. He was quite active, and at one point swiveled his triangular head and looked directly at us, before turning back and reaching up to the next set of leaves. I could have watched him all day.

Mantis (or mantid) can live up to a year, shedding their skin several times as they grow. This one is fully grown, probably about six inches long (15 cm). These pious bugs are great for the garden, since they dine on unwanted insects and bugs. You can buy praying mantis egg sacks at local nurseries to organically control bug infestations.

Once the party guests went home, and the house was back in order, I went outside in the dark with a flashlight hoping to spot him. Instead I saw a katydid sitting on a flower, wondering why on earth I was snooping around in the bushes after dark.