lady spider

we have a resident orb weaver. she's lovely. tracy thinks she's scary. if nothing else, this lady is determined: she built her enormous web right in front of our back door. maybe she's trying to catch us! try to use the deck without walking around through the yard and you'e doomed. (wish i could get a picture of it - these orb weavers are known for their symmetry - and it's huge!). we got a big rainstorm here the other day, tho, and were pretty excited about the possibility of using our deck again. but within moments of clear skies, she'd rebuilt. amazing. we may have her here all fall. which is ok by me - while tracy steers clear of the whole area, i watch her through the window like it's a tv. she so rarely moves, it feels like an enormous reward if you manage to sit there long enough that she lifts a leg or turns upside down (ok, clearly i have too much time on my hands). and here's a cool thing: if you open and close the door really quick, it throws some wind in her web. she thinks it's a catch, or a predator, we've learned, and she jumps up and down on her web! shaking the heck out of it to either frighten the predator or entangle the catch. crazy. this lady deserves a name...