A New One!

   Since I cannot sleep past 4am any longer, I find I am in the gardens earlier and earlier.  Sometimes, the coffee is sipped in pure darkness.  The cool morning air, the soft chirping of frogs and crickets and the smell of a fresh new day (yes, it really does smell fresh just before dawn), all make for sensory overload.   As soon as the sun starts to peep over the pines, I wander the gardens.  Plans are made for the day's work and visits are made with my critter friends.

  Today, I made a new friend.  When a flower pot was moved, an unusual spider skittered out from beneath.  Well, now!  I have never seen you before!  This called for a bit of studying of the critter (and photos) before it slipped beneath the mulch.  The spider was gorgeous! 

  After a bit of research of Mississippi spiders, the critter has been identified as a Two Lined Stealthy Ground Spider.  Like all spiders, this one uses venom to kill its prey but unlike most of the others, this one does not spin a web as a trap.  The spider actually stalks its prey and is so fast that the other critter never knows what got it.  Also, unlike most other spiders, this one is extremely shy which is why I have never seen one before.  The critter will swiftly scamper away from any disturbances and seek shelter under some form of cover (like my garden mulch).  *Its venom does not cause problems for humans as it is prey specific.

  I am actually very pleased at finding a new spider in the garden and hope that the excessive amount of mulch will encourage it to stay.  With it guarding the ground level and the orchard and orb weavers guarding the upper levels, the pest numbers will be greatly reduced.  Besides, this one is such a pretty thing and I adore having pretty things in my gardens.