Explore Outdoors ~ a foggy morning walk

 Some mornings the fog rolls in and sticks around for a couple of hours. It's still cool, and the perfect time for a nature walk. Not only that, water droplets in the air stick to spider webs and make them stand out.

 

 

What cool things do you find on an early morning walk? 

 

Explore Outdoors ~ what's THAT under my blueberry leaf?

 

I love the way my blueberry leaves turn brilliant red in the fall! So the other day I was trying to capture the color when I noticed this egg sac sheltered beneath a leaf. Someone more knowledgeable about spiders than I am suggested that it was a yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia - which makes sense since there were many of them inhabiting my garden this summer.

According to what I've read, there can be hundreds of eggs inside, and they hatch in late fall or early winter. But rather than dispersing, the spiderlings go into diapause (a dormant state) and emerge the following spring. If they all live (which they won't) I'll have plenty of pest-munching spiders in my garden! Bug Eric has a great post about them here. 

Do you have any spiders hanging around your yard? 

Explore Outdoors ~ one last look at garden spiders

 My garden is a great habitat for spiders. I pile dried grass and straw on the beds to help keep them from drying out - and spiders love to hide in the mulch. I grow flowers between the tomatoes and peppers, and spiders love the web-building opportunities tall stems provide. And some plants have big leaves that create a shade for spiders looking for hiding spots. Here are a couple end-of-season spider pictures.

 

 

Explore Outdoors ~ Spiders in my Garden

 I have so many different kinds of spiders that hang out in my garden. Crab spiders, often matching the colors of the flowers, wait to ambush a fly or bee that drops by to sip nectar or collect pollen. Jumping spiders scurry across leaves, on the hunt. Others spin sticky nets between flowers to capture bees and flies who aren't paying attention to where they're going. Last month I counted five silk-wrapped, bee-shaped burrititos dangling from a garden spider's web. She'd won the real-estate lottery, setting up shop between two tall coneflower stems.

 

This week, check out the spiders

living in your neighborhood!

 

 

Explore Outdoors ~ Sneaky Spiders

 I've got some Very Sneaky Spiders hanging out in my garden and surrounding area! They don't advertise their presence by spinning sticky webs that net unsuspecting fliers. Instead, they hide in and under flowers, waiting for dinner to come to them - to settle on the flower for a sip of sweet nectar - and then they POUNCE! 

 

Do you have sneaky spiders in your flowers? 

  

These Spiders Served Their Country

 

The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army    

by Penny Parker Klostermann; illus. by Anne Lambelet 

48 pages; ages 7-10

Calkins Creek, 2025 

This book had me with the title: The Spider Lady. I mean… who wouldn’t want to know more? Especially with the subtitle mentioning an “arachnid WWII army.” 

Like other entomologists, Nan Songer loved nature. In her case, it was butterflies and moths, beetles and caterpillars – even spiders. She loved learning about them, but didn’t love the idea of killing them and mounting them in collection boxes. Instead, Nan wanted to watch them move about, and she wrote down notes about what she discovered.

Her living insect collection grew, and soon she had jars of bugs all over her house. One day a friend told her that he had used spider’s silk to replace the crosshairs in his surveying scope. And that got Nan wondering… could she harvest spider silk and sell it?

Penny Parker Klostermann takes us right into Nan’s lab – ok, it was probably her dining room – where Nan is experimenting with different ways to collect silk. Nan has lots of questions: Which spiders produce the most silk? What size of silk is best? And most importantly, what’s the best way to raise spiders in captivity? Because some of them would definitely eat their roommates!

These were important questions, because World War II had broken out and the US needed silk for crosshairs in gunsights, periscopes, and range finders. And Nan wanted to furnish that silk.

We watch as Nan realizes that raising thousands of spiders means feeding them. And they like to eat crickets and flies, grubs and moths… and that means MORE jars of bugs! Her seemingly simple idea – to collect spider silk for crosshairs in scopes – began to grow into a huge project. 

I love how Penny shows Nan thinking through the research she needs to do. How can she test whether noise affects the quality of silk produced? Does the age of a spider affect the thickness of the silk strand? And how could she obtain threads that were thinner or thicker than what a spider spun?  Fortunately, she figured out how and by the time the US entered the war, Nan and her spiders were busy helping the troops. 

You can find out more about Penny and her book by dropping over to the GROG where, last month I hosted the 5th Annual Arthropod Roundtable. 

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ Ants on Plants!

 

 I headed out for a walk the other day, thinking I might find bees on some of the wildflowers. I stopped and looked, closer and closer....

 

 

 

... and found an ant meandering up the raceme of almost-open blossoms. Looks like it barely escaped the fangs of a camouflaged flower spider! In all honesty, I didn't even see the spider until I looked at the photo later, on my computer.

 

So why did the ant climb up the cherry tree? Maybe it has a sweet tooth - er, mandible. Leaves of some species of wild cherry have extrafloral nectaries. Perhaps this ant is part of a pest-patrol? 

 

Peonies provide nectar for ants that keep pesky plant-chewing bugs off their flowers and stems - you can find out more here.

 

Look closely this week. 

Do you have ants on your plants? 

 

 

Explore Outdoors ~sitting with nature

 

Sometimes taking a five-minute nature break turns into ten minutes... as I sit and notice the things around me. A couple weeks ago I noticed this tiny spider clinging to a seed head of grass. So I got up closer to take a look. The foxtail has a fuzzy head which, when you get a closer look they seem like needle-thin spines. And if you're that close, you might notice that the spider has spines on its legs. 

What do you notice 

when you sit with nature for a few minutes?

Explore Outdoors ~ garden denizen

 Of all the spiders hanging out in my garden, I think this one (Argiope aurantia) is the prettiest. Look at the color and design! And look at those sharp claws! These spiders are great garden residents - they eat flies and mosquitoes and bothersome gnats. I admit I feel sad when I see a bee tangled in their web, but everyone's gotta eat...

 iNaturalist calls this spider a yellow garden spider. They also go by other names:  the black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, and zipper spider.

What name would you give this spider?

Explore Outdoors ~ Finding Beauty

 Every day I look for a bit of beauty in the natural world around me. Some days I get lucky and find diamond-studded spider webs clinging to the bridge railing. This usually happens in the early morning after a humid night (in this case the humidity was over 90%)

What beauty do you find in the natural world surrounding you?

Explore Outdoors ~ Spider in the Garden

 I see lots of crab spiders in the flowers, and wolf spiders running through the mulch. But the other day I found this Nursery Web spider hanging out on top of a lupine leaf. I couldn't quite look it eye-to-eye, but I got close... so close that I could see the silk coming out of its body.

This week pay attention to the spiders hanging around on the plants nearby. They might be hunting, waiting in ambush, or spinning a web. What do you discover by looking close?

The book review is still on vacation, but drop by next Wednesday for some more backyard science.

Explore Outdoors ~ Flower Spiders

 Last week I shared Spider Flowers. This week it's Flower Spiders - more specifically, crab spiders that hang out in flowers.

These spiders are colored in a way that helps them blend in with flowers. I've seen yellow crab spiders and greenish ones; this spider is white with pink designs. The spiders get their name because of their flat, round bodies and the way they hold their legs out to the side like claws. Some even move sideways, just like a crab.

Crab spiders lurk, waiting for something yummy to drop by. They eat bees and flies and even other spiders (especially other crab spiders). I caught one in the act a couple years ago (posted here)

This week take a closer look at the flowers in your neighborhood. Do you see any crab spiders? If so, what color is the spider, and what color/kind of flower is it on? 

If you are lucky enough to discover a crab spider dining, watch quietly without disturbing them. What did it capture?

Explore Outdoors ~ Early Morning Discoveries

 

 

The last half of July was so hot that I had to head out early in the morning to get my walk in. Often, the valley was filled with a layer of cloud and the air was deliciously cool. The early morning dew clung to spiderwebs like pearls on thread. They looked like lace.

This week get outside an hour earlier than usual and take a walk around your block, or even around your yard.

• Does the air feel different compared to later in the day? How?
• Do bird calls, cars, and other noises sound different?
• Does early morning smell different than your normal get-out-and-explore time?
• Can you see the moon, or planets?
• What do you discover first thing in the morning?
  

Explore Outdoors ~ Who is Hiding in the Bok Choy?

 

 

A couple weeks ago I was weeding the garden and I noticed a web across the top of the bok choy. A funnel web - you can see the opening of the web forming a funnel down the curvature of the leaf. The spider hides inside the funnel. When an insect lands on the web, the spider will run out and check to see if it's prey. If it is, the spider bites it and the fast-acting venom kills the insect within a couple seconds. Then the spider drags the prey down the funnel before eating. Not only does the funnel affords protection for the spider, but dining indoors prevents other insects from recognizing potential danger.

Funnel spiders are shy, so if you want to get a good look here's how: stand so that the sun is in front of you - you don't want your shadow to scare the spider; and look closely without touching the web.

You can find out more about funnel web weavers here at the Bug Guide. You can find their webs on grass, along hedges, and in the garden. Do you have any in your neighborhood?

Explore Outdoors ~ Early morning spiderwebs

 The best time to find spiderwebs is early morning. Especially on foggy days! On this day grass spider webs filled neighborhood lawns like patchwork squares on a quilt, and orb webs filled spaces between plants, fence posts, even the railings on the bridge. What kinds of spiderwebs do you find in your neighborhood?

Explore Outdoors ~ Drama in the Milkweed Plants

 So there I was, out in the garden counting pollinators when I saw this cute little crab spider hanging out on a milkweed leaf.

It's easy to miss if you're not looking closely. Anyway, I get back to counting bees flocking to the monarda. A few minutes later, I go to check on my spider friend, only to find... 

... that it's snagged some fast food in the meantime.

Look how the spider has dug its fangs into the back of that fly.

poor fly!

Apparently flies are like tacos - equally tasty from either end!

So... What's going on under the leaves of plants in your neighborhood?

Itsy-Bitsy Spiders....

April is national poetry month, so it’s only appropriate that I feature a book written in poetry. Or maybe it’s required… I seem to have misplaced my “rules for reviewing kid’s books”. And because I love critters with multiple jointed appendages, I present:

Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs 

by Leslie Bulion; illus. by Robert Meganck 

48 pages; ages 8-12 

Peachtree Publishing Company, 2021  

“From leafy treetop to forest floor …” and places in between and beyond, We Spy Spiders! Some are busy weaving webs, others riding silk balloons through the air, and yet others on the prowl. There are happy spiders, diving spiders, dancing spiders, and social spiders. 

So Many Spiders to love! Each spread features poems and information about the spiders. Things like how they kill and digest their prey, engage in foolery – and even how they become prey themselves. (I have not eaten any spiders so I cannot speak to how they taste…)

Leslie includes lots of wonderful Back Matter (and you know how I love back matter!). There’s a glossary, some spider identification notes and suggestions for further study. She also includes an activity: how to hunt for spiders at night. And she provides some notes on the poetic forms she uses. Here are four she highlights, with links so you can try writing some poems about spiders – or anything you want to write about – yourself:

• Haiku   
• Tanka  
• Dodoitsu   
• Cinquain   

A couple weeks ago Leslie and a bunch of us hung out at the GROG Blog to talk about why we love bugs. You can read what she said here. And you can learn more about Leslie and the fun books she writes at her website here.

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Butterflies and Spiders ~ Oh my!

It's never too cold - or snowy - to read about bugs! I say this as a person who, even in winter (or maybe especially in winter?) discovers ladybugs wandering over the keyboard and boards a jumping spider somewhere behind the book case. Not to mention the temporary guests: wasps and spiders who come in with the furnace-bound firewood. They warm up and begin exploring and next thing you know I've got to get my net out to do a bit of insect control.

The Truth About Butterflies 

by Maxwell Eaton III 

32 pages; ages 4-8

Roaring Brook Press, 2020

Each page introduces facts about butterflies in a fun way. Maxwell Eaton highlights butterfly diversity, shows strategies for survival, and gives a guided tour of the stages of butterfly life. Dialog – from humans, pets, birds, and butterflies (even the pupae have something to say) – add humor and occasional facts. Plenty of text boxes add context.

What I like about this book: It’s a fun approach for kids. And I know I’ll be listening harder for butterfly voices this summer. I like that the section about human impacts include positive action kids can take to make their homes a better place for butterflies. There’s a butterfly file at the back with tons of info about behavior and suggested reading for larvae (kids) and adults.

Jumping Spiders (Creepy Crawlers in Action: Augmented Reality series)

By Sandra Markle

32 pages; ages 8-12

Lerner, 2021

Six chapters introduce the jumping spider’s world and give a close-up introduction to these fascinating spiders. We get to know the spider on the outside as well as the inside  - did you know they have “book lungs?” Jumping spiders spend a lot of time hunting, so Sandra Markle takes us along on a hunting expedition (from the spider’s point of view). We learn about the life cycle of the jumping spiders and how males dance to attract a mate. Back matter includes more information about jumping spiders and their relatives.

This book is part of a brand new middle-grade series that also includes locusts, mosquitoes, praying mantises, stick insects, and ticks. Sure, there are tons of books about bugs - but these books go way beyond the pages. Readers with smart phones can download the appropriate app and, when they come upon the Augmented Reality icon, scan it to watch the spiders - and other arthropods - “come to life.”

The best time for Spider Webs

This is the time of year I see a lot of spiderwebs. They're stretched between plants, fence wires, bridge railings - pretty much anywhere a spider can find a good hunting place. I've found that the best time to see them is early morning, when dew is still clinging to the threads.

This week head out on a spiderweb survey.

• Where do you find spiderwebs?
• How big are the webs you find? 
• How far are they from other webs?
• Can you find the spiders?
• If you can, watch a web over a day. What do you notice?
• Does the spider move her web each day?

Wednesday Explorers Club ~ Web Walk

The best time to go looking for spiderwebs is early morning, particularly as the fog lifts. That way droplets of water still cling to the spider silk, making webs easier to see.

We find webs everywhere: in the grass, between flower stems, between wires of a fence ... anywhere there's a place to anchor a line is a good place for a web.

Go on a Web Walk.

Grab your camera or sketchbook and pencil, and look for different types of spider webs. Orb webs look like wheels with spokes. Look closely - you might even see a spider sitting in the middle, waiting for breakfast to fly in.

Things to note: 

1. where do you find the web - is it attached to plants, and what kind?
2.  how big is it? bigger than your handspan? as wide as your longest finger?
3. what time of day, and other weather notes.
4. the habitat around you - is it a roadside? a garden? mowed lawn? an alfalfa field?
5. draw a picture (or take a photo) of the web.

 Orb webs aren't the only kind of webs you'll find. This one looks like a hammock slung between chicory plants. Look closer and you might find another layer spun beneath.

Other webs you might find are sheet webs along the ground (spun by funnel-web weavers) and cobby tangled webs.

You can download a guide to spider webs here.

University of Kentucky has a cool spider ID chart here.