Unplugged #2.5: Insects

Well, this week's Unplugged was sort of lazy for us. I myself enjoy bugs, but I don't think Dave does much, and Bella's too young to notice them. We spent most of the week taking note of the various bugs we saw throughout the week while blackberry picking, but I didn't even take any photos. I'm enjoying the bees that hummm around the lavender and blackberries, and of course the dragonflies that we didn't have in DC. (How did I not notice that until I left?) But we didn't do anything out of the ordinary, other than take extra note of our local spiders (which aren't even insects :O( !) so I'm not going to link this post, but feel free to check out the other very cool projects, especially if you want to see a cicada molting.

I'm not sure what type of spider we have here, but they are everywhere. Dave once saw six webs, one above another outside our door. The amazing thing about them is that they create such beautiful orb webs. I'm used to spiders who make cobwebs or messy orbs, but these are perfect every time and I feel bad whenever I have to move one or accidentally walk through one of the supports while berry picking. The other thing is that they are always gone the next day. Dave says that they take their webs down every day, but I was always under the impression that spiders keep their homes as long as possible. Last week, we even had the opportunity to watch a spider building her web. First the supports, jumping back and forth, and then around and around she went. I was amazed how quick it went. Still, it definitely inspires me to enjoy them while they are there, never knowing how long that perfect little web will last.

I saw this one on my porch as the sun started to set, and it was illuminated so that it was impossible to miss. I'm glad I took the photos, because it was gone in the morning. I looked out the kitchen window and immediately thought of a galaxy. The dark trees going on forever, and the bright strands glittering in the light.

When I realized that the strands turned prismatic in the evening light, it was even more amazing.

Not an insect, per se, but a nice topic anyhow.