The Spider And Her Web

The wild oregano is blooming in the pastures.  I got low to the ground to take a picture of the sheep through it.

That’s how I saw the spider web.

I thought I’d try to take a picture through it, but just as I got close,  the tiny orange insect with long wings land in it.

I watched as the spider hurried from the top of the web to the middle where the insect was and begin to spin it round and round wrapping it in her spider’s silk.  When she was done the spider carried the insect to the edge of her web.

Then she retreated to the flower of a stalk of grass the web was attached to.

In another moment an even smaller insect landed in the web and the spider raced toward it.  While the spider was busy, the orange insect unraveled itself freeing its wings.  But it was still stuck in the silk.

My first thought was to help it get away, but as I was considering the spider without a meal, she was back on the insect, wrapping it up again.

This time it worked.

The spider spent more time with the insect.   I imagine she was injecting it with her paralyzing venom.

The web was only about 4 inches round and the spider herself a quarter of an inch.  With all the rain we’ve been getting here are lots of bugs around.  And in the morning when the sun lights them up, I can see there are lots of spider webs too.

I did get the video below of the spider wrapping up the insect the second time…