Heating Up

B and I were both up early this morning (she has crepuscular cats, too) and went for another walk before the temperatures started to soar above 30°C. It was quite hot already, without yesterday’s cooling breeze. 

Even earlier, I watered the garden and discovered a big fat wasp spider among the flowers and herbs (see extra). Her body is about the size of the tip of my index finger (males are much smaller and don’t have stripes). At  first I was happy, hoping that she might eat some of the pesky mosquitoes. But when I read about the species, I found out that she mainly hunts grasshoppers and bees. That’s a pity, but I‘m not going to evict her.

Wasp spiders didn’t live in our area until a few decades ago. They are moving northward with climate change. I guess this formerly Mediterranean species is feeling right at home here now, with the current heatwave of up to 35°C during the day, and never under 20°C at night.