Spider

9-1-12, meanwhile, another day another spider.
Spider is busy in a backyard agave, san diego, ca. photo by anders tomlinson.
This spider has been busy for weeks. The kite like structure
in the right background is one of two suspended on the agave.

9-2-12, a spider and its shadow.
Spider is busy in a backyard agave, san diego, ca. photo by anders tomlinson.
Waiting, waiting, waiting and then the shadow will move.

The wait is rewarded with captured prey.
Spider in backyard agave has food to eat, san diego, ca.  Photo by Anders Tomlinson.
The wait is rewarded with food in a wrapped cocoon.

9-2-12, set a lure and wait.spider and lure, 9-02-12, san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson.
Teach a spider how to lure…

Who are these little critters?
little bugs, possibly spiders, show up , san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson
Over night a small cluster of insects appear suspended in a web
near the spider. Are they related?

A closer look.
little bugs 02, possibly spiders, show up , san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson
As the day warms up they begin to spread out.

Little bugs and their shadows.
little bugs 03, possibly spiders, show up , san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson
Soon these bugs will gather together again for the night.
There were three of these bugs blooms over the course of two months.

A spider and its web.
Spider web, san diego, ca.   09-28-12. photo by anders tomlinson.
The web was anchored south by a pine tree and north by an agave.
There were a stretch of high winds that destroyed the web.
The next day the spider was rebuilding the web in the same place.

An ability to adapt.
spider web, san diego, ca. 09-29-13. photo by anders tomlinson.
Again, the wind blew the web away. Now the spider weaved a web
in the pine tree running east – west, protected from wind.
But here it was not visible. After a couple of days of no
captures, and the winds dying down, the spider went back to
its original position, pine to agave, south to north.

9-24-12, two at a time.
spider with two lures, san diego, ca. 9-28-12.  photo by anders tomlinson.
Two lures in a web is better than none. As the seasons change
and temperatures drop there are fewer flying insects to be caught.

9-28-12, a web to deceive and capture prey.
spider web detail, san diego,ca. 9-28-12. photo by anders tomlinson.
After the winds had destroyed the web the spider began anew
with great and efficient precision.

9-30-12, things happen.
spider web after a couple of days, san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson
After a couple of days the web starts lose its geometry.

1-5-13, last photographs alive.
last photo of spider alive, 01-05-13 , san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson
The nights are becoming colder. The spider is climbing down at night
towards the agave for warmth. There has been no sign of spider food
in its web. Tough times for a spider.

A formal portrait with shadow.
formal portrait of spider 01-05-13, san diego, ca.  photo by anders tomlinson
This spider had body parts that glowed in the sun like gems.
It adapt to conditions until it couldn’t. It was a spider.

There will be more to this page as we reflect on this spider’s journey
through heat-wave, rains, winds and a freeze…

1-16-13, death of a spider.
spider death, san diego, ca. 1-16-13.  photo by anders tomlinson.
An end comes to all creatures great and small.

©2013 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.