Drama At The Web

Spiders love to decorate for Halloween, and I appreciate it so much. They spin their webs all over my cabin, making it look wondrously spooky.

This is the species of spider that created the web where this drama occurred today at lunch. A Spotted Orb Weaver (Neoscona crucifera).

As I sat eating lunch, I noticed a bit of action taking place at one of the spider webs, just outside the window. A Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) had become tangled in the web and was fluttering about madly. The spider was sitting on the web looking quite pleased and hungry.

And then, out of the blue, “Here he comes, to save the DAY!!” A migrating, Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) enters the scene. I don’t know if it was attracted by the brilliant red-orange of the butterfly’s wings, or if perhaps the tiny bird was thinking of stealing the spider’s meal. Hummingbirds do eat insects, by the way, including insects trapped in spider webs. It approaches the trapped Red Admiral and in short order the butterfly escapes – becoming nobody’s meal, and the hummingbird came around to the feeder filled with syrup, just for the migrating hummers.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Drama At The Web”

    1. Ken, it’s been interesting watching the spiders re-spin their webs (usually in late afternoon) as they get damaged by critters who are not watching where they are going but still manage to escape. I love seeing their “expressive” artwork!

      Thanks bunches for reading my posts!
      Bren

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