Happy Fall and all about spiders (the fun kind)

Another sneak peek. Made from a vintage playing card, some cork wall paper and the unused spine of an old book. There are also some scrapbook paper scraps. The leaf punch is a Martha Stewart one from Michaels. There is also spray glitter. (had to get that in there somehow)

About the spider from yesterday - she is now dead. One of our customers freaked out about her. We were upset. Maybe if more people were educated about this kind of spider they would be left alone.

She was a black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) also known as a writing spider in the south. The female can be up to 1-1/2 inches long. The male is much smaller. They are considered harmless to humans. They are part of the orb web spider group - named because of the webs they build. Non agressive - the only record of a bite to a human with effects that I have found goes back almost 40 years to 1968. If bitten by one you can expect an itchy sore that will go away in a few days. The webs are up to 2 feet in diameter with a distinctive zigzag woven in (called a stabilimentum) . The reason for this pattern is unknown. They are daytime active spiders. As part of the daily activity the female consumes the center of the web and rebuilds it. They mate and reproduce once a year. The male builds a small web close by and waits until the female is ready for mating - after mating the male dies and is often eaten by the female. The female creates an egg sac, then usually dies around the time of the first frost. The eggs overwinter in the sac and "hatch" in the first warm days of spring. They eat insects that become trapped in the web. There are more of these at my house and all around our building. These are the good guys. They eat other insects and spiders. Even our pest control guy leaves them alone. This is the kind of spider refered to in Charlotte's Web.

About me - desperately trying to organize at work so I can be out for the surgery. Behind on some swaps. Trying to get a baby gift done in time for a shower. Region playoffs approaching for both volleyball and softball. College search continues. Laundry piling up. The dust bunny brigade has brought in reinforcements and stands a good chance of winning. I think there may be some chicken noodle soup at the house - nothing else - it looks like the food source for a dorm room. This too shall pass - right.

Have a wonderful day.