Look What I Found in the Garden

The sun was finally out and the temperature was finally above 60, so I ventured into the flower beds and look at what I found.

Yep, a black widow spider.

Last summer the kids and I made a bird bath from terra cotta pots and saucers, and as I turned it over I spotted this shiny, black spider. This may sound crazy, but I was so excited to find her. We studied spiders earlier this year in science, read Charlotte's Web, even went to the play, so this was an exiting find.

Of course, I called for Ken to help me catch her and sent Lindsay for my camera.

Here's a closer view:

Funny how I felt a little blah and the day didn't seem to have much spark until I stepped outside and stuck my hands down in the dirt. Suddenly, the appearance of this tiny creature made me smile and wonder at the beauty of spring. It's on the way and I can't wait.

A few more pictures.

More Cool Webs

We ran across this garden spider at a friend's house recently.


Here's her web.



THE coolest web ever! The boys made this web with yarn, following the directions in Exploring Creation with Zoology 3.



The boys even put spiders made of marshmallows and Chinese noodles in their web.


Many thanks to Melanie for organizing a great lesson on spiders.