Spiders

It is Autumn. I love Autumn. I love the coolness (although this year, that does not really distinguish it from the Summer) and the dampness (likewise). If it does happen to be warm and sunny, that feels like a bonus, a treat; if it is dull and grey then it feels OK, normal, right to stay indoors and drink hot chocolate.

One thing I really notice in the Autumn is these guys:Can you see the spider in the middle?

I think she is an orb web spider and there are hundreds in our garden and in the bushes along the pavement: we found seven in one bush on the way home from the library. The children are fascinated by them and were very excited earlier this week when they found one in the process of building her web on the climbing frame.

I have often idly wondered where they go the rest of the year, but in looking for the link above, I have discovered that once the eggs are laid, the female dies. The eggs don't hatch until May and I guess it takes all Summer to grow this big.

The appearance of these spiders, and the squirrels burying walnuts all over my garden, are sure signs that Autumn, in all its peace and beauty, is well and truly here.