Used in a sentence: "Every night, for the last few nights, I can't help myself but observe this critter and its giant web in the back yard by the 'flower box' and sing a little Allman Brothers classic '... and I'm not gonna let them catch me, no ... not gonna let them catch the midnight spi--der!'"
Because here's the thing -- it only appears after dark, always in the same place, and its whole creation has simply disappeared completely by morning. Then -- the next night -- it's back repeating the whole cycle. I have no idea where it goes during the day ...
Or, that is, I *had* no idea where it went during the day until I turned to the interwebs (pun intended) to discover that the Tropical/Garden Orb Weaver is known for its nocturnal activities, and that it likely goes and hides under the foliage during the bright sun of the day (only after it has dismantled all of its work).
This creature does all of its business just a few feet away from the giant Golden Orb Spider (known for its distinctive yellow webbing) that consistently comes to live in the space we call "no man's land" (extra photo below/in the comments if you're seeing this on the Facebook) ... and now I know that we've got ourselves TWO completely different types of beautiful orb spiders taking up temporary residences at ye new olde household.
CAN'T GET THIS OUT OF MY HEAD WHEN I SEE IT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCRS4DRmf_w
NOT MY HOUSE ... BUT A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH8ccBa1EQo
MEET THE TROPICAL ORB SPIDER!:
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/spiders/tropical_orb_weaver.htm
OUR USUAL LATE SUMMER VISITOR ...
