Category Archives: Spiders

Yesterday’s (7.23.2010) yard

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Last night roughly 40 Chimney Swifts were flying over 11th Street, a nice sight!

Dragons and Damsels

On the 21st and the 23rd there was a dragonfly in the yard that I’m almost certain is a teneral Blue Dasher, but one feature perplexes me: a shimmery, red cast in the wing in some light.

I’m too new at dragonflies to make the kind of knee-jerk identification I made of a Common Whitetail—I didn’t look closely enough to be sure it wasn’t a Widow Skimmer. Sigh. I’m learning.

Also in the yard were two Fragile Forktails and a bluet.

Spiders

There was what looked like a sheetweaver web in the Golden Alexander, but no sign of the spiders.

Argiope gone

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The Argiope that resided in the yard since at least August 25 is gone.

She was in her web when I got home from work on Wednesday, but on Thursday morning she wasn’t in the web, which hadn’t been repaired from the previous day. I was hoping she was merely out of sight for the time being, though I thought then that I’d probably seen the last of her. I’m certain now that I have.

University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web has an informative page about the creature here: Argiope aurantia: black-and-yellow argiope. Apparently, the function of the stabilimentum isn’t well understood.

Hasty conclusions and a sparrow

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Hasty conclusions

The first hasty conclusion was that one predawn spinning argiope was representative of the genus (I really do know better than that). The second was that my yard argiope’s late appearance was typical of her behavior.

When I left for work yesterday morning at 9:50, she was in the middle of a nicely repaired web. This morning when I went out expecting to find an empty web at 6:04, there she was, her day begun.

It’s time to start making evening checks.

A sparrow

The first native sparrow of the season was in the yard this morning around 6:30. It was too dark to make an identification without the binoculars, but because the kitchen light was on I couldn’t reach for them without spooking the bird. Seconds later, light out and binoculars in hand but not yet up to my eyes, I saw the bird fly. Because of shape and yard history, I’m thinking Song Sparrow, but of course am not sure.

Nothing but House Sparrows and an ailing House Finch in the yard this afternoon. I don’t know what’s wrong with the House Finch. Her eyes are clear, but droopy, and her feathers unkempt. She seems weak and is making bobbing motions similar to a waterthrush’s.

Newcomer and update

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Newcomer

The newcomer was a Magnolia Warbler (female), which flew into the backyard at 7:20 this morning. That’s the yard’s fourth warbler species (the others are Tennessee, Mourning, and Common Yellowthroat). She flew from the yard on the north into the stand of pokeweed that lines the fence, then to the stand surrounding the dead redbud, and then back.

Update

I went out at 6:00 a.m. to check on the argiope, who hadn’t come out yet from wherever she shelters herself for the night. Checked again at 7:00; no spider. When I checked at 7:40 she was in the web, which is still in tatters. Surely she’ll repair it.

Tomorrow morning I’ll check every 10 minutes, beginning at 6:30.