Micrathena Sagittata Spider 

(Arrow-shaped Micrathena)

One of my favorite little spiders, the Arrow-Shaped Micrathena. I usually find this striking spider locate in my holly bushes in the late summer. Last year I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing any in my yard, but this year I have been lucky to find 2 females located on the edge of the woods.

The Arrow-Shaped Micrathena can be found in the USA in 12 states. It is one of the smallest orb-weaving spiders. The abdomen in both sexes have a distinctive arrow shape to them. The female has a bright yellow abdomen and is quite larger than the male. The male’s abdomen is black with some white edging. It differs quite a bit from the female making it hard to recognize as the same species.

Webs are usually built near the ground in forested areas, but one of the ones I located this years is about 5 feet in the air. That would be something terrifying to walk into. The web is built every morning and the spider will leave a hole in the center where it hangs upside down waiting on its prey. The web will then be removed in the evening and consumed by the spider.

THE TOBACCO HORNWORM CATERPILLAR

The Tobacco Hornworm Caterpillar

The tobacco hornworm, manduca sexta, is often confused with the tomato hornworm.  They look quite similar, but the tobacco hornworm can be identified by the black edge against the white stripes and their red horn.   The tomato hornworm has white v-shaped stripes that are edged in green and their horn is also green.  These tobacco hornworms grow to be over 3" in length and they are quite plump bodied.  In their adult form they are known as the Carolina Sphinx Moth.

1st or 2nd Instar Larva

To many people the tobacco hornworm is a garden pest, but to me he is an awesome little creature.  I think this caterpillar is amazing.  The first year I planted tomatoes these caterpillars destroyed my plants, but that was OK with me.  I became fascinated with them and watched them all the time.   I tried to take pictures of them daily.  It's was amazing how big these things got.  The next year I planted some more tomato plants hoping that these caterpillars would visit me again, and it worked.  One even ate my peppers, as you can see in the picture below.  I found it funny that I was able to hear it chew on the crunchy vegetable.  When it felt threatened by my presence it would rear its "head" back to look scary.  There are spots located on both sides of it's body, near the head area, that look like eyes.  His little head is actually scrunched up next to it's true legs (front legs).  He might have looked frightening to a real predator, but to me he reminded me of a begging dog.  

The Very Loud Eater

I ran out of time to get my garden planted this year, so I haven't had the pleasure of watching them this summer.  Hopefully I get one planted next spring and a couple of these destructive pests will visit me again.  I just wish that I could keep them confined to one plant.  I really would love to have some home grown tomatoes and peppers.

Tobacco Hornworm Caterpillar Tomato Plant Puzzle
by WilfredaDesigns

THE WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH

I feel that it is only fitting that I start this blog off with the kind of bird that started my whole obsession.  The amazing white-breasted nuthatch.  I’ve always loved nature and after my husband and I got married we decided to build our home out in the country.  Once we moved in I would waste so much time just staring out the windows enjoying the beauty that surrounded me.  I was also hoping to see some white-tailed deer, but who would have thought that instead of deer I would become obsessed with birds. 

We had a huge tree that was located off of our back deck and I was fascinated one day when I saw this cute little bird climbing up and down the trunk.  I had never seen such a site growing up in town.  A bird that could actually climb up and down the side of a tree!  How had I never seen this before?  WOW!  I was sucked into birdwatching. 

I told my husband about my little discovery and for some odd reason he already had a book on birds.  I have no idea why he had this book, but I am so glad that he did.  This was before the time you could find literally anything online and it surely came in handy, and I still use it to this day.  I looked this little bird up and was able to identify it as the white-breasted nuthatch.  My next goal was to get a photograph of it.  Since this was 20+ years ago, it wasn’t as easy as it is today.  We had some film cameras, but didn’t have the proper lens for the shot.  Needless to say it wasn’t too long before we purchased a 400mm lens.  I would love and hate to know how much time I have spent outside trying to get the perfect shot.

I caught the birdwatching bug and I have never looked back.  I have also spent way too much money on these feathery little beauties, but it is so worth it.  The next bird that caught my eye was the scarlet tanager.  Now that is a striking beauty!  That is another story, so I will leave it for a different day.