Many persons are grossed out thinking about spiders; they don’t even have to see one to feel tingly. These predators may be venomous commanding serious fear. Knowing that they protect many favorite plants from their predators is reason for gardeners to tolerate their presence outdoors, from a distance. Morning on the prairie reveals multiple spiders’ webs dripping with morning dew; the spiders’ traps that in the dark of night were hidden traps.

These tiny creatures survive by creating amazing works of art, often a new piece every day. The diversity in this species is mirrored in the diverse web patterns found in the prairie. These architectural feats were not learned over multiple workshop sessions like many of us have endured. Many times our large brain attempts to crochet or knit fail to produce anything with a detailed pattern eliciting praise from observers. Spiders are masters at their craft and deserve respect for this talent.

I invite you to spend a few moments looking past the beautiful webs and find the two spiders in one image. Then notice the large lump attached to one grass stem, the carefully bound prey held in reserve for later dining. The spider web images are more complete with these inclusions.