Mud-nesting spider wasp with spider prey

So THIS time, I was sitting in the back yard with James, reading one of my article drafts out loud to him, when a movement caught my eye on the stone patio. A fat jumping spider? I jumped out of my chair and went over to get a closer look. No. A wasp dragging a big wolf spider! 

 

Of course, yet another photo-and-video session ensued. This insect is probably a mud-nesting spider wasp, perhaps Ageniella sp. Like other spider wasps, she stung and paralyzed this wolf spider (Schizocosa rovneri). At some point, she amputated the spider's legs (which I didn't get to see). This was a first for me, though others have observed this gruesome behavior before. She dragged the spider to a crack between the rocks and disappeared below the leaves. She'll lay her eggs on the still-live spider, and the little ones will have a fresh meal to eat. Poor spider. But that's nature!

 

Square-headed wasp mom

Sometimes even the tiniest movement can catch my eye. That's what happened last week when I walked by a small mound of dirt in the back yard. Of course, I had to stop and investigate. I ended up plunking down on my bottom and spending a LOT of time taking LOTS of photos and videos. This is a solitary square-headed wasp, perhaps subgenus Blepharipus. These wasps prey mostly on flies and make nests in the ground or rotting logs. Such interesting behavior to watch!

According to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, "Solitary wasps typically create an egg chamber and stuff killed/stunned/bitten/stung spiders and/or small insects into it. Mom lays an egg on one of the bodies, closes the chamber up, and moves on. The carnivorous larva hatches out into its own personal pantry stocked with enough food to get it to the pupal stage..." 

 

Naturally, I had to flag her nests so we won't walk on it. LOL!

Look at that ant?

A few days ago, I was in our garage, fetching something, when I glanced down at the counter. Instantly, I knew what it was. Can you guess? Okay, guess I'd better tell you what it was – an ant-mimic jumping spider (Sarinda hentzi). See how he waves his pedipalps like antennae? And his body appears to have three segments (instead of just two), like an insect? Great mimicry, right? I love these guys.

 

Milkweed survey 2025

VERY exciting news here, folks! Yesterday afternoon, James and I flagged and counted antelope-horns milkweeds (Asclepias asperula) in the Meadow. The first time I counted back in 2015, we had 12 plants. Then, 14 in 2016, 15 in 2017, and 15 in 2020. The last time we counted in 2021, there were 18 milkweeds.  

Four years later, we counted 50! Yes, yesterday we flagged and counted 50 plants! And yes, I spread some seeds that I'd collected in the Meadow, but I don't remember when etc. Anyway, as you might guess, I was VERY happy and excited. That's a HUGE increase. So stop on over, monarchs and other pollinators! We've got plenty of food!

Southern house spider

Yesterday we had our outdoor air conditioner unit tuned up. Big deal, you may think. Yes, I agree. Until Ben, the nice tech with Apache Air and Heat, disturbed a BIG spider. He was real cool about it. When I heard James say, "I think it's a wolf spider. But my spider expert will know for sure." Naturally, I hurried over. OH OH OH! This was definitely NOT a wolf spider. And it was definitely a spider I had NOT seen before in our yard. AWESOME!

Meet a southern house spider (Kukulcania hibernalis). Isn't he handsome? And large, too! But he's completely harmless. Plus he can barely see anything (see his tiny eyes?). According to Bugguide.net, "females are frequently mistaken for small tarantulas or trapdoor spiders. Males are often mistaken for recluse spiders. This is a totally harmless species that builds 'messy' webs emanating from crevices, often on the outside of homes."

 

After a photo session, I let my new friend go at the base of a live oak in our back yard. Happy life to you!

 

I thought it was interesting to learn that the two sexes are very different. Ours was a male. Here's a photo of a female so you can see the differences. (Photo by @greg369 on iNaturalist)

 

Big news – Thanks to this spider, I've hit 100 spider species on my iNaturalist list in our yard!

Happy garden surprises

I LOVE it when native plant friends that died and disappeared return unexpectedly. Look what I found today – a healthy and very happy Brazos penstemon (Penstemon tenuis)! I looked back through my archives and found this species mentioned as far back as 2014. But I couldn't find the post that would have documented exactly when we planted it and where we got it. Oh, well. I was just thrilled to see it back! Since it's a perennial, I hope it remains

Last week, I found two scrambled eggs (Corydalis aruea) growing in between the rocks in our stone patio. I decided against pulling and transplanting them. So I put out signs so visitors wouldn't step on them. Yes, I know – silly me. But it's worked so far! And then yesterday, what should I discover but a healthy and happy scrambled eggs growing in a nearby bed! Yay! Scrambled eggs is an annual so I hope to have them reseed in the better location.

 

No more high-rise dilemma

More than two years ago, we spotted a hackberry growing WAY UP in one of our live oaks in the back yard. We knew it had to be removed, but I worried about how and by whom. Well, this afternoon, the deed got done. By James. He'd assured me that he could do it and not kill himself. But still, I worried. Sure enough, he got the ladder just right, pulled up our handy-dandy Extractigator by rope, and almost managed to yank the good-sized tree out. But it broke near the bottom. James sprayed the stem and area with black pruning paint. I'm so glad that chore got done. Now I don't have to worry about our live oak and James. 

(April 21, 2023)

 

Little ol' worried me.