Good bye, spider friend

For over a year, there was an orb weaver (Argiope argentata) living in my garden. She weaved her web in the protective Dracaenas patch. I used to drop by every few days to say hello—yes, as you would with any pets–.
Three weeks ago, I noticed some changes: my spider friend seemed smaller. "Mmm...wait, that can't be", I thought. As it comes, my friend had a neighbor. I searched for the biggest one, the original one, and there she was: in the center of the web, busy with some prey, and a male walking around, kind of nagging her. What? A male? Isn't he in danger of being eaten? Little did I know by then.
A few days passed on, and my old friend started to lose her stamina and her color. As it usually happens, she left her offspring behind. And surprisingly enough, the tiny male was alive and kicking. He survived the mating season.
Now I know I will have to watch the Dracaenas closely to see if some new spiders appear to start the cycle all over again.

My old friend... And a male!

A danger-loving one

The neighbor

The offspring

Everyone hid

I took the pictures with my Redmi Note 8 and edited them with Snapseed.