Orb Weavers and spinners!

 This time of year we see many orb weavers in our yard.  Be careful when you walk through your garden, you might run smack dab into one of their beautiful webs.  Did you know that spiders are the first spinners/weavers ever?  garden spiders (subfamily Argiopinae), which are common in grassy areas and are brightly coloured—yellow and black or red and black. The oldest known orb weaver, Mesozygiella dunlopi, was described in 2006 from fossils discovered in Álava, Spain. The species was dated to the Early Cretaceous Epoch (about 145.5 million to 99.6 million years ago).  

Isn't that remarkable?  The other day I walked into my backyard and was stopped by a web glistening in the morning sunlight.  It was a piece of sheer beauty and workmanship!  I could never build such a masterpiece of intricate lines and spaces!

I did not see the creator of this lovely art.  Maybe, she was sleeping out of my sight, waiting on an unspecting prey.

The other day our daughter found this creature outside her back door--

We have seen this type of spider before outside our front door--one day it was on one side and the next day, she had moved to the other side.  Such a fast worker!

Yellow garden spiders (Argiope aurantia) are also known as writing spiders due to the zig-zag pattern they weave in their large webs. These beautiful spiders are beneficial and prey on bothersome insects, such as gnats, mosquitoes, flies, and aphids.

Why the zig zag?  It's a warning to birds that a web is built--please do not destroy!  and that goes for humans--these dandy insects are useful to nature.

Spider silk is a wonder material that, weight for weight, is stronger than steel, tougher than Kevlar and can be more elastic than rubber. It's also flexible and antimicrobial. Scientists have used silk to make bulletproof armor, violin strings, medical bandages, optical fiber cables and even extravagant clothing.

the spider can create an egg sac or weave a web for capturing food. Spider silk is highly flexible, extremely stretchable, surpasses steel in strength, and most importantly, can be formed into a mesh that would stop a bullet.

Next time you see a spider or one of these orb weavers--give them a break!  They are wonderful and useful for humans!