Random Garden Spiders and Insects - by Sunscape

This European Garden Spider can be found everywhere in the gardenscape. I caught this large female spinning a web around a stink bug that had just flown into its web. I was amazed at how quickly she wrapped the bug into a cacoon.

These spiders can be found from Southern Canada, all across North America, and down into Mexico. They are thought to have originated in Europe and then introduced to N. America.

This spider was much smaller than the one spinning a web. I see them everywhere in my gardens and have to watch out not to disturb the webs. A few years back, I found a nest of babies on one of my plants. There were hundreds of tiny little spiders crawling every which way. It was kind of creepy but beneficial for the garden.

Here is the backside of the spider walking on the siding near the chair I was sitting in. I don't mind spiders as long as they don't walk on me, lol.

On another day this tiny spider was trying to wrap a live beetle which was wiggling to get away. It was putting a web around its leg to keep it from escaping. Mind you, this was happening right next to my chair in the corner of the porch step.

I think it is the same species, perhaps just a younger one. The beetle did manage to escape its grasp and walk away unscathed. The prey was a bit too much for this little guy to handle.

This little creature was on the door casing of the patio door. This is something that I haven't run across before.

I thought how funny its long antennae were compared to its body size. He stayed on the door casing for a long time before hopping off.

One of the regular visitors to the porch is these moths. I find them hiding everywhere on the porch. They must feel protected during the daytime as they blend into the natural wood. This one flew right onto the chair while I was reading my book. Perhaps it wanted some company.

This random post is not my usual type, but I found these photos while cleaning out files. This is a good time of year to clean out the digital overload on the PC and phone before I start taking more pictures to share.

Until next time, this is Sunscape
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