Spider Webs and Other Silver Linings ~ Nature to You

“Do you want to see a huuuuge spider, Mom?” asked my 11-year-old. We were both exploring the Marana Community Garden in our own way. My son was peeking and poking along the perimeter of plot 37, stopping when he spotted a spider and looking more closely into the layers of webs. So many layers! I had already shown him 3 orb weavers of varying sizes, in the hedge of tomatoes. Sure enough, a 4^th spider, most huge of all, reigned over the middle of the lush green bush.

A large (not the huuuuge one) orb weaver spider consumes a larger grasshopper, in an overgrown tomato bush.

I gladly paused my work to view his discovery. I was happy for him finding something to catch his interest, I was happy for the garden having someone delight in its ecosystem, and I was happy for myself having some company while I weeded. Indeed, my son got to come because my fall series of community garden classes was cancelled. His excitement was a silver lining to not getting to share the garden with new students.

Banana peppers, heavy and ripe, hang deep within the garden.

I did welcome the extra time to yank out summer weeds, a job both practical and exploratory. In one morning I found melons revealed, mint emanating sweet scent, devil’s claw pods surprisingly slimy, banana peppers living up to their name in size and color, and pear tomatoes still plentiful. Grasshoppers cleverly camouflaged busily ate the overgrowth of greenery, and some were already lunch for garden spiders. By removing heaps of branching sunflowers and golden crownbeard, I also found the fence and more footspace. Next: laying down straw to mark rows and make the wild garden temporarily tidy.

The fence and intentional contents – lavender, mint, agastache, banana peppers, rattlesnake beans, sunflowers, tomatoes, melons, and more – became visible after I removed 4+ wheelbarrows worth of summer weeds.

Do arachnids and insects deter you or beckon you further into the garden? Does your garden typically have rows and order, or do you let plants grow where they wish? Do weeds grow high, low, or not on your watch? This monsoon season’s exceptional rainfall has caused exceptional growth of animals and plants, both intentional and incidental. Rather than stress myself trying to keep up 100%, I give my attention to multiple gardens in turns and still pay attention to details when I can come. In your own backyard or community garden, what makes your web of life unique? With whom do you share your delights or disgusts? What have been some silver linings this week or season or year? Welcome to the fall season, and happy exploring to you and yours!