BOO!

You would probably have a hard time believing that I used to be absolutely terrified of spiders and believed that the only good one was a dead one.  And yet, here I am.  I spent an embarrassing amount of time watching this tiny Bronze Jumper making repairs to her webbing on a zinnia leaf.  Because I was so close, she jumped onto me several times which meant I had to try to get her back onto her leaf without damaging her.  I finally ended up letting her dangle from my arm and snagging the silk line on the leaf so she could repel back up.  Yes, I am sure I looked utterly mad to anyone who might have seen me.  

Jumpers don't use webs in the "traditional" sense of spider webs in that they don't trap their prey.  Instead, they hunt, launching themselves at anything that looks delicious, even if it is quite a bit larger than themselves.  Some species of jumpers actually create a dense web to hide themselves in so that they don't become a meal form some other predator.  Anyway, this one was very busy and when she popped her little face out from under the leaf, I knew I had my shot.  No, I didn't change the orientation of this - she really was upside down.  I am putting another shot in Extra of a male who was nearby - take note of the lady beetle in the frame (an invasive species and the jumper won't attempt to eat it.)

I slept very late this morning - definitely had a bit of a reaction to the RSV jab.  My plans to head out for a hike somewhere went by the wayside and lazing around here felt much better.  All I had was tiredness and a headache, so nothing serious and I'm fine now.  Happily, the weather is stunning - it is currently 76 F and sunny.  Tomorrow morning I am meeting some friends for a walk in the Refuge.

Jax is at daycare and from the looks of their posts on FB, he is having a great time.  I'm sure he will be ready to chill tonight.  Hubs made a rare trip to the office today so he will be home a bit later.

Haven't made the dark decision yet today...

xo
Debbi