Shy and Talented Little Weaver

For the last couple of weeks I have been spending my mornings looking to see what a mysterious little artist has made for me in the backyard. I am never disappointed. Each morning I find a large and intricate spider web gleaming in the sun. And each morning it's a little bit different. This hard-working spider spins a web each dawn and then throughout the day it gets blown in the wind or damaged by insects. And so the next day it begins again to create a new web. I have seen the spider only twice. It is very shy and very lovely. So for the last week and a half I have had the camera ready in case it decided to sit in it's web. One day I thought I saw it through the window so I went outside with the zoom lens ready. Unfortunately it was just a feather that the web had caught. So I got a picture of this little guy instead:

A couple of days later I saw it in it's web and went out again to finally capture an image. I approached the web too quickly, however, and it ran quickly into the protective branches of the Italian cypress tree. So I sat on the patio for awhile hoping it would come out once again for it's photo shoot. It never did, but in the meantime Jade and I got to see several beautiful butterflies. I caught images of a couple of them.

I had started to give up hope that I'd ever get a picture of this 8-legged friend. But finally today I peered out the window and saw something. I figured it was just some grass or a feather so I didn't take action. Then I opened the screen door to water the sissoo tree. Can you imagine my surprise when I saw that the spider was sitting there right in the middle of it's web!? I ran back in the house and rigged up the camera with the zoom. And finally today I got some pictures of our backyard artisan. I believe it is an orb weaver spider.

I'm so glad that we have the pleasure of giving residence to this shy and talented little weaver.