I take a cup and a napkin. I catch a spider, put it outside and allow it to walk away. I hope I am greeted with the same kind of mercy. – Rudy Francisco, spoken poet (1982-)

Spiders so needed and yet so misunderstood. – Donna Lynn Hope, American author (1973-)

Well, we survived another week of extreme temperatures. When the days start reaching 100 degrees of real temperature there’s a lot of watering to do. It was so hot in order for all the plants to survive it meant watering at least twice a day, sometimes more-so for the potted plants. Mostly the watering is done the old-fashioned way of hauling water buckets around. At the end of the day when the sun is sinking and the shade creeping, I might use the water hose so the spray won’t scald the foliage. I’m pretty proud we haven’t really lost any plants, just maybe some needing a little pruning or plucking an expired flower so another could bloom in its place. I don’t plant anything fancy, mostly a variety of petunias, dianthus, zinnias, marigolds, begonias and impatiens. There are some perennial roses, clematis, ajuga, mums and Prairie petunias. I walked around watering when it occurred to me: I haven’t seen a yellow and black garden spider in years. Where have they gone? They are incredibly beautiful with a distinctive yellow and black marker, some white, long legs making them an inch or so longer. The web they weave resembles a zipper. Garden spiders can bite if bothered though the venom is harmless. Still a bite is a bite.

On the back porch I found a circular web. The web had been damaged and there were no occupants. I can only guess a bird attacked the web, taking out the spider. It happens. On the front porch there was another Orb Weaver spider. The wind caused his masterpiece to sway back and forth. Orb Weavers are known for building webs in high grass, hanging from trees, in corners of a home, or on the front porch. Google says spiders come out more often, building their outdoor insect traps, during the transition from summer to fall. It does make sense to build on the porch near the porch light where insects visit. The season is also the mating season for spiders and lasts about two months. It seems a bit early only because it is so hot. Typically, as fall nears, we take a Gator ride through the woods where we carry a stick to swing in front of the Gator warding off spider webs to the face. It’s a good system whether you take a walk or ride in a Gator to take a stick.

We still have a number of butterflies flying around. I do love them so. I hope they never get caught in a web. I’ve been hoping I can get a butterfly to sit on my hand like I coaxed the Blue Dasher dragonfly to sit on my finger out near the perennial garden. While I was enjoying watching the spider web, something lit on my hand. I absentmindedly brushed it aside only to see it was a butterfly. Hopefully I’ll get another chance.

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].