WILD WEDNESDAY

I had intended to use the beautiful Virginia creeper on our blue fence for today’s Wide Angle Wednesday challenge, and had gone out into the garden armed with three cameras, my Canon, the Panasonic (which I have yet to return to factory settings) and my iPhone - both Mr. HCB and I thought the Canon did the best job.

I duly took the shot then turned round to take one of the bed of nasturtiums - which I duly did.  Then I thought that a photograph of Mr. HCB’s Kalettes would make a good Wide Angle subject, but then…..

I noticed this spider that had obviously spent all night spinning a beautiful web between two posts on the raised bed where the Kalettes were planted, and which provide a lovely backdrop.  We know it wasn’t there yesterday when Mr. HCB took all the net curtains down that had been protecting his Kalettes, so it had to be a night-time job.

I believe this is a common Orb-Weaver spider and apparently, they are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. "Orb" was previously used in English to mean "circular" hence the English name of the group.

After spending about five hours in the garden yesterday, my back and legs are aching quite a lot this morning, so it will be a much more gentle day - a friend called last night and asked if I was free for coffee so Jack’s here we come!

Being overrun with tomatoes, I made my first batch of sun oven dried tomatoes yesterday - I am preserving them in olive oil and they may even end up as a Christmas present for someone.  Amazing how such a large batch of tomatoes just about half filled a Kilner jar but Mr. HCB and I tasted them when they first came out of the oven, and they were delicious;  he assures me there are many more still to ripen.

“The greatest artist 
     and web-designer ever 
          is indeed a spider!” 
Munia Khan


P.S.  I have just been back out into the garden to count and yes, the spider only has 7 legs!