PHOTOGRAPHY
Spider Girl
My October Muse
My Version of the Itsy Bitsy Spider
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the garden path I sat down beside her comfy in the grass
I watched the spider weave intricate patterns into art A meditative reprieve spun upon my heart
Such a delicate web formed her home and sanctuary My garden transformed by a faery, most find scary
When you look close enough it’s easy to see She’s not aggressive or rough She just wants to spin free
The spider in the cover photo is an Orchard Orb Weaver, and she’s quite tiny. Her intricate details shine brightly through a telephoto lens. She’s a hard worker, constantly spinning her web. Male spiders can spin webs, but most only do so as hunting traps to capture food. Males typically approach females and reside with them, in their already luxuriously woven silken webs.
Spider girls are hard working homebodies, but don’t let appearances fool you! They seem to have an easier lifestyle than their male counterparts. They can enjoy a single web their entire lives. All of their food and mates come to them. They’re usually bigger and much stronger than spider boys.
Spider boys typically travel long distances and risk being eaten by females after mating. This gives her strength to give birth. There are gaps in the female spider web, which allow male spiders entry for mating. This begs the question, Are they gaps or traps?
Spiders also use their webs as a form of transportation, just like Spider Man! They can swing from plant to plant and even escape a predator.
Orchard Orb Weavers are in the species Venusta, which is latin for beautiful.
Perhaps one day I can record some video of Spider Girl with my web cam. 😉
Spider girls are wonderful garden helpers. They eats roaches, mosquitos, and moths…all things I dislike more than spiders. Spiders are often categorized by the type of web they weave, and it’s purely instinctual. What a stunning web they weave!
There’s a tiny world living all around us. It’s a beautiful world when you pay attention. Observing a spider spinning a web is a great meditative practice for me.
Spider Man movies are entertaining and fun, but real life can be more amazing than movies sometimes! That’s why Spider Girl is now my favorite super hero.
Mia Verita, 2022
“In the Amazonian rainforest, tarantulas and frogs team up for a mutually beneficial relationship. The frogs get protection from the large spider, living in its burrow and even hiding under it. In turn, the frog eats ants and fly larvae that try to eat the spider’s eggs.” — Melissa Tiller on The Nerdist.com
I wonder if Freddy the Frog has ever met Spider Girl? Elder Taoist
Thank you to all the hard-working editors of Woodworkers of the World Unite!!! for giving Spider Girl a place to spin her web!
Mia Verita is a retired Advanced Practice nurse of over 26 years, with specialties in mental health and geriatrics. She loves nonvenomous itsy bitsy spiders. Spider Girl is her favorite super hero. She enjoys photography, sketching, writing poetry, and sharing inspirational stories.
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