For the last couple weeks, there has been a small guest in my mailbox. While she hasn’t cheerily announced “You’ve got mail,” her appearance has been as regular as my e-mail. Each morning when I open the door of my mailbox to put in outgoing letters or later, to retrieve the incoming, she is perched on more of less the same spot each time. At night, however, she ventures out and builds a beautiful, circular web on an unusual angle between my neighbor’s and my adjoining mailboxes.
She is an orb-weaving spider, (so named for the typical circular webs they weave), and known as a cross spider or garden spider. (I looked her up on two of my favorite bug sites – What’s That Bug? and BugGuide.) I speak to her softly each time I see her, and she rarely moves away. Sometimes if I pull out a magazine or something large, she’ll back up a wee bit, or if I move to the other side to get a closer look, she may face me a bit defensively. But what is most amazing was realizing that she seems to actually know me.
A neighbor that I see often was walking by with her young son recently and we got to talking. Of course, he’s interested in bugs! I showed them the spider. She was fine with me nearby, but when they came to look – and they were no closer than I’ve ever been – she got up and hid. I checked when they had left, she came back out. I feel honored.
Now she’s protecting a little cotton-y puff of spiders-to-be on the inside of the mailbox door. I still talk to her, but don’t stay long. She looks a little less filled out than I think is normal, and it doesn’t look like she built her web last night. Perhaps this is what motherhood is like for spiders and she’ll stay with her egg puff until they’re born. She’s really quite pretty with a lovely pattern on her back and shaded legs.
I don’t know how long she will be keeping an eye on my mail, but I do enjoy the opportunity of seeing this little spider each day.
Update: 5/29/09 – Today is the first day I have not seen the little guardian of my mail. Yesterday, she seemed tired, and it almost appeared as if a back leg were missing. I couldn’t tell. I did a visual search all about the mailbox a short while ago, no luck. Perhaps her job is done.
Still A Dreamer 
Hi,
Love your spider photos! When not TOO close to spiders, I find them often very pretty.
I’m using the same blog format as you–have you been able to ‘customize’ the header with a photo of your own? I’ve been having trouble changing mine.
Thanks!
LikeLike
Another comment–I learned sometime ago that if you look closely at the web of a garden spider you can sometimes see the much smaller male ‘hanging out’ on the periphery. I do believe the females eats him after mating, as is often the case with spiders!
Also, the egg sacs can and usually do (?) overwinter, surviving harsh conditions, long after the mother has died, with the young hatching in the spring.
Amazing!
I’m a little surprised that you’re seeing an egg sac so early in the season. Where I live–upper Midwest–we usually don’t see the sacs until later in summer, and at this time the spiders are still very small.
LikeLike
Hi –
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I like them MUCH better when I spot them first and can observe rather than their jumping or landing on me!
I’m assuming that the cotton-y puff is an egg sac, and it wasn’t there a few days ago, plus she’s very protective of it. Although chilly today, 62 degrees, it was in the 80’s here in NJ for several days over the weekend, so she may have been fooled into thinking summer had arrived. Her web is at such strange angles between the mailboxes, that it would be hard to spot a male if he had survived!
I’ve not yet tried replacing that photo up top. But as a photographer and artist, I probably should get something of my own up there someday. I do have my own artwork on my web site, however – so you can check there :o)
http://www.jeannebalsam.com
LikeLike
Thanks for your reply, just saw it now despite ‘checking’ the box that says that an email notice will be sent if one’s comments receive a reply–ah, technology.
Hope spiders doing well…
Have not yet figured out how to change the top ‘banner’ on this otherwise very nice blog style from wordpress.com–frustrating!
LikeLike
I haven’t seen her now in days. Though I haven’t read up on their life cycles, perhaps female spiders die after their baby spiders are born? I don’t know.
As for the header, go into your dashboard and down to Appearances. Under there, click on Custom Header … that’s where you can substitute your own photo. If you’ve tried that and it doesn’t work properly and you know your photo is OK – check in Forums – there’s lots of good advice there on just about any problem we find. If all else fails – there’s always WP help.
Good luck!
LikeLike