Warning - spider story at the end

Hummingbird Action

I have two Hummingbird feeders – one in a tree and the other by the flowers in the backyard.  Normally when I go out to water the flowers, there are two Hummingbirds that come around to say hi and get a drink from the feeder.  There I was sitting there watching the little party at the feeder and thought I would try to take a picture of them.  Since they are so quick and cell phone cameras aren’t, I didn’t think it was going to work.  But I got this way cool picture of the little guy going between the lanterns.

 

 

 

Redneck Paradise

Last year I had set up my Redneck Paradise in the backyard.  Complete with sand chairs in the pool and solid chair for a side table. This year, I took it indoors.  That’s right I’m living the dream of having an indoor pool.  The outdoor pool had holes in it, so it had to be recycled.  But I can always go get another one.  So then I will really be living the dream of both and indoor and outdoor pool.

 

Cat-Face Spider (not for those freaked out by spiders)

I was doing some yard work Saturday morning and walked right through a spider web.  Normally this doesn’t bother me, but it was as strong as a Black Widow so it kind of startled me a little bit.  I looked around for the source of the web and saw this funky looking spider in the corner of the patio cover.  So naturally I had to call Michele and she came over with the girls to inspect this way cool spider.  Michele said that I should look up the Cat-Face Spider.  So Emily looked it up when she got home and found out it was the Cat-Face Spider.  Fully stretched out, it was probably about 2-3 inches, maybe a little bit longer.

According to Colorado State University - One of the most common but unusual spiders people encounter late in the season is the cat-face spider, Araneus gemmoides. It tends to make its webs near lights and in corners along the outside of buildings. Full-grown females can be quite large and have a combination of odd projections on the abdomen as well as dark indentation markings that some say resemble the ears and eyes of a cat.

Despite their large size and bizarre appearance, cat-face spiders are harmless to humans.

Its’ part of the Orb Weaver group which makes the most intricate webs.  Like the yellow and black spiders that are commonly found in blackberry bushes.  So we relocated her to the Manzanita bush in my backyard.  Hopefully she will be happier there and won’t have to keep rebuilding her home that would have been destroyed often by me walking through it.