Argiope mama update

In my last post (August 12, 2013), I reported that our garden spider (Argiope aurantia) was getting large again. Well, she DID INDEED deposit more eggs in a second sac! (See photo above.) Darned if she didn't start getting big AGAIN–a third time! Many female spiders can store sperm, which is how she's able to keep dropping eggs. Take a look at how she's changed since my last photos Aug. 12. 

August 16, 2013

August 24, 2013

August 28, 2013...she's getting BIGGER.

August 31, 2013 (today) She's back to "normal." This morning, while watering, James couldn't find her. She'd disappeared. I suspected that she was off, taking care of egg business. Sure enough, I went back outside this evening, and there she was, back on her web, fiesty as ever and "thin" again. I looked and looked but couldn't find a third egg sac. But we will! She's hid there among the leaves and branches somewhere.

In the meantime, the argiope in the back yard disappeared from her post near the rue and salvia. The thing is, she AND her web vanished. Which told me that she up and relocated (if the web's still there, a predator likely got the spider). I looked and looked but couldn't find her. Until this morning, while I was watering in the back yard, I noticed a strand of spider web but didn't think much of it. Until I looked again. "THERE you are!" I exclaimed, seeing my spider friend. She'd crawled all the way across the back yard to her new location! This is her third location. I originally spotted her on another salvia at a different spot in the back yard. I think I annoyed her so she moved. Several days later was when I found her by the rue. This gal is sensitive and doesn't like to be bugged!

Long-legged beauty update

Our lady Argiope aurantia continues to inhabit a flower bed in our front yard. Last week, while watering in the back yard, James told me that he thought we had a second garden spider because this one looked smaller. "I bet she's laid her egg sac," I replied. "I looked around, but I couldn't find one."

James took off to go check and returned, grinning. "I found it!" he announced. Wow, I was impressed. Sure enough, there was her egg sac, secured up in the crape myrtle leaves, wonderfully hidden.  

I also noticed a tiny interloper on her web. "Hey, look!" I told James. "I haven't seen one of those in YEARS." It was a dewdrop spider (Argyrodes trigonum), a kleptoparasitic cobweb species that's perfectly capable of building its own web but prefers to steal prey from its host. Sometimes these pushy spiders even dines right alongside the garden spider!

Now fast forward to today, August 12, 2013, and take a look at our girl (two photos below). She's gotten BIG again! So I predict that she's about to produce a second egg sac. With two, we should have a prolific number of garden spiderlings next spring. And that's something to look forward to!

Rockin' rock roses

All of our rock roses have just busted out with blooms!

New bird

Crummy images, cropped tight. I think she's a summer tanager (Pirangu rubra). I shall ask my bird expert, Joanne, for her opinion.... 

 

Long-legged beauty

White watering this morning, James spotted this long-legged beauty–a yellow garden argiope (Argiope aurantia), also commonly called a yellow garden spider, banana spider and writing spider. She built her web in the front yard among the crape myrtle, woolly butterfly bush and blue mistflowers. Yes, she's a she. The female of this species is ALWAYS the larger of the two sexes. Soon the puny little male will show up at the edge of her web. They'll mate, and then he'll take off. 

P.S. The "zipper" in her orb web has a name: the stabilimentum. Biologists aren't sure of its real purpose, but the thick strands could warn birds not to fly into the web, and/or they might reflect ultraviolet light, which attracts insects.
 

A new-to-me native

Meet velvet bundleflower (Desmanthus velutinus)  prairie acacia (Acacia angustissima var. hirta)! The species is related to catclaw sensitive briar, partridge pea, milkvetch and MANY other plants in the pea family. Yesterday morning, I just happened to be walking along the street, tossing Mexican hat seeds across the Meadow, when I saw this low, shrubby plant. Upon closer examination, I realized I'd never this species on our property. COOL! At first, I thought it was prairie wattle (Acacia angustissima var. texensis). But Joe Marcus at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (I contribute plant images to their database) said no, it's prairie acacia. "Acacia angustissima var. texensis is restricted to south and west Texas and Mexico," he told me. I sure was close, though! :-)  

UPDATE MAY 3, 2018  I uploaded an observation on this plant to iNaturalist, and a user corrected the ID. I agree with her. 

More cool additions

A month or so ago, James came up with a cool idea. Or should I say ANOTHER cool idea. He's always got ideas. Anyway, he suggested that we make a grouping of bird baths. So last weekend, we bought two small bird baths and relocated two more from elsewhere in our Wildscape. Of course, we'll be planting around the baths so it won't look so bare like it does now. We tucked two chairs in the corner. Real cozy and great views, too!

In place of a bird bath that we relocated, we put this one that we also bought from last weekend's estate sale. I think Rebecca would be pleased to know that we have it now. She was always so much about "Keep Blanco Beautiful."

James enlarged the rock border around this bed because the salvias and trailing lantana have grown!

And before I forget, James shot all these photos! Aren't they nice?