Little Miss Muffett

I was in my backyard back by the tree where the raccoons live and happened to notice a big spider on a web by my neighbor's shed.  There was a yellow jacket caught in the web.  I went to get my camera and in that short time, when I came back with my camera the spider had the yellow jacket all wrapped up in a neat little package.  A rather grisly present wrapped in silken strands - an unwanted gift to all except maybe another spider.

Here's a little bit tighter shot.  The wrapped yellow jacket is at the bottom of the spider.

Then a day or two after that I was washing dishes and glanced up to look out the window and saw a spider dangling in front of me.  I had to look twice to figure out whether it was inside or outside.  It was outside!

It's an interesting spider - orange with black and white stripes.  Here's a closer look.

Go back to the first two pictures and check out the web.  Look familiar?  Both spiders are orb weavers - so named because they are the most common group of spiders that make those intricate spiral wheel-shaped webs.  The webs are common in gardens and fields and are known for their strength.  Don't ask me which orb weaver this is because there are over 3,000 different species!

We've had rain the last few days.  I just went back to check out the spider by the shed.  No spider and the web was partly destroyed.  But then some orb weavers build a new web every day, consuming the old web each evening.  Even though the spider in my window looks smaller than the one by the shed, it might be a little smarter because he's under the cover of my awning and not effected too much by the weather.  Either that or it IS the same spider and just wanted its picture taken again - this time from the front!