Danger in Stripes

A little UTW today, so I made a brief dash out back to look for the green and brown praying mantisses. Mr Mole found both for me in the fountain grass. But...

I found both suspects for today’s blips elsewhere. I don’t know a wasp from a hornet from a yellow jacket and have not taken the time to learn. So one of those is on the dill.

I did look up the spider though. It’s a Banded Garden Spider, a member of the Orbweaver family. It already has its meal “hermetically sealed.” :). Note the telltale zigzagged cluster of silk toward the center. This spider hangs upside down in its web and faces its belly south to absorb heat from the sun. The female can give humans a painful bite if disturbed. They build their webs between plants near the ground. Good to know. Info courtesy of www.insectidentification.org.

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