6 more pictures and several notes above! :D

Back in the middle of July, I was delighted to find a very special spider in a web right next to our porch outside our house. I really love Black & Yellow Orb-Weavers and, as they are so hard for me to find, I was ecstatic that this one decided to make her web so close by! I had a naming contest and with the three winning names, I christened her Portia Odessa Goldbottom.

Through the rest of July and all of August, Portia got bigger and bigger, and slowly, her body size increased and she started to look quite round when September rolled around. However, two days ago I was dismayed to discover that Portia was gone. :( :( She was probably full of eggs and it was time to make her egg sac as her last task before she died. :( :( I knew she would be dying soon, but I am sad because I'd planned to take more pictures of her. However, I did take a few pictures a few days ago, and looking at them again today, I feel a lot better because they are nice enough to show for her last pictures.

Thinking about a proper memorial image, I decided to take a picture of the most distinctive part of her web, a web decoration, called a stabilimentum, that is only made by some orbweavers. Before I took the picture, I sprayed water all over the remaining strands of her web, and initially, I didn't even see the zig-zag webbing. Sprayed with droplets of water, it suddenly appeared and I took some pictures.

The reasoning for these odd web strands is not clearly understood, but two theories include making the web more visable so that birds won't fly into it. The other theory is based on the fact that webs reflect ultraviolet light, which attract certain insects, and it is thought that the concentrations of webbing attracts insects more strongly. If you'd like to know more about these interesting web decorations, Wiki has a great page here: Web Decorations

Robert Breault (born 1963) is an American operatic tenor. Born in Michigan, he holds a B.M. degree (magna cum laude) from St. Norbert College (1985) from which he received a distinguished alumni award in 1997. In addition, he holds a M.M. (1987), and a D.M.A. (1991) from the University of Michigan where he studied voice with soprano Lorna Haywood. His early training also included two years of study at the San Francisco Merola Opera Program, and an internship with Michigan Opera Theatre. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah where he teaches voice and serves as Director of Opera at the University of Utah School of Music. Wikipedia: Robert Brault

Explored on September 10, 2013. Highest placement, page 3.