Mama Spider Knows Best

  Flanking the steps outside the French doors, a variety of plants can be found.  Several of these are ginger and turmeric plants.  The plants evidently love the spot under the arbor surrounding the door because they grow profusely and, once the leaves overhang the steps, the aroma is incredible when anyone uses the doors.  This also makes it handy to grab a few leaves or a root to use in the kitchen. The area is sort of like an herb garden with the added beauty of stained glass French doors.  I love it.

  Obviously, I am not the only one that loves the gingers and turmerics.  Deep down in the spirals where the new leaves come from the main stalk, a spider has made her web.  This is not the spider's main web but her retreat web where she hides during the daytime hours.  At night, the arbor is strung with an intricate web as the spider catches her supper but, as the sun rises, she crawls back in her hiding spot.  It is in that retreat web that she has her egg sacs.  There, she can protect the sacs from any marauding critters.  Centipedes and wasps are both known to eat the eggs so it is a full time job for the female to protect her egg sacs. 

  I noticed this morning that the spider had moved her egg sacs from the retreat web to a spot deeper in the plant's leaves.  Perhaps she feared for their safety or perhaps she, herself, is going to move to a less obvious spot.  Mama Spider knows what is best and I admire her determination to keep things safe.  At least, she does not have to fear me.  I would never intentionally shoo a spider from any of the gardens!

  

As Our Main Course, We Have SPIDER!

  Early this morning, I needed a break from gardening so the front steps offered a shady spot.  From there I could watch the clouds building over the Bay while I sipped my lemonade.  It is also from there that I could listen to the sweet sounds of the baby wrens peeping in the hanging basket just above my head.  The tiny birds get so excited when they hear the slightest noise as they think Mama and Papa are bringing food.  To me, there is nothing better that babes of any ilk.

  The parent wrens had no problem entering the nest while I was just an arm's reach from the nest.  They have grown accustomed to my presence and just disregard the idea that I might harm them.  I delighted in seeing the birds flit in, pop a morsel in a gaping mouth and dart out again.  The search for food  was never-ending!  As I watched, I became aware of just what the birds were proffering as foodstuffs.  A few caterpillars, a few odd bugs and a lot of spiders. SPIDERS!!!  It seems that wrens have a thing for spider meals.  After about the fifth spider serving, it occurred to me that perhaps spiders were easy to find and easy to obtain.  Every nook and cranny about the bayou has some sort of eight-legged critter lurking therein.  Wrens being the busy, little hunters they are, have no problem snatching up the tidbits.

  Obviously, spiders are nutritious.  Otherwise, those feisty baby birds would not be growing so fast.  Another week and they will be ready to fledge.  Learning to fly will be the next big step in their survival training.  With that comes the lessons on hunting...perhaps even hunting spiders.  For now, however, the birds are snug in their nest as the storms are building.  Mama Wren is a wise bird to build her nest by the front door!