Another lovely insect from my garden

I’m sorry for anyone who reads this blog with arachnophobia because I’m about to make a post that may send you running for the hills due to irational fears. We often come across Spiders in the garden. We probably have dozens of different varieties in a small area of the garden alone. I generally ignore them and let them eat bugs I dislike more.

But yesterday was different. I found this black spider with yellow dots on her back and belly and had to: 1) take pictures, 2) identify her. And because I spent a significant amount of time identifying what the spider was, you my readers must deal with my nerdiness.

First of all she had a strangely weaved web. I found a picture of an Orb weaving spider that looked like her so I dug deeper. After looking at dozens of pictures of different kind of (entirely harmless) orb weaving spiders I found what she was. A simple Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) eater of bugs (BugGuide here, Wikipedia here). I mean after all that work I would love to have a fancier name like Reynolds Goldbar Spider or something.

O.K. on to the pictures.

Wasps like their Nests

The other day I went to visit the hubby in ManLand (aka the detached garage). As I left the building I heard some buzzing about. Mind you I had been gone for 5 days. I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings much since I had been back, but I really should have noticed what I saw. And it’s a wonder that Adam didn’t notice considering that ManLand is his personal sanctuary.

Right above the door, was a giant wasp (hornet?) nest.

So perhaps the nests do get bigger, and I’m exaggerating about the giant size. But this was a fully developed hive. And it had grown right over our heads.

I do actually kind of admire the delicate beauty of the design though. They did a lovely job building a home.

Too bad that home is made of paper.

I went inside. A few minutes later my husband comes running in, disheveled and excited, “I threw a shovel at them and ran”.

“A Shovel???”

“Well I didn’t know what else to do to get rid of hundreds of angry hornets.”

The next morning I went out to inspect the damage.

The hive was still going.

Even with half of their papery hive on the ground.

The wasps were still caring for their young and rebuilding their home. It was a little interesting to watch the inner functions of an established hive.

The details of a hive can be so interesting.

By the next day the hive was already well into it’s reconstruction phase.

And the leftover pieces of the hive on the ground were showing their biodegradable properties.

The hubby still has not eliminated them. He’s done a great deal to anger them, but I think he forgot about the wasps for the most part.

One last detail is the little abandoned mini hive next to be big one.