June 28, 2012

How I wish that I had discovered this amazing spider nest sooner!
It is slightly bigger than a golf ball and hangs on a single thread.
I put the green leaf behind it to block out the brick wall and also to stop it from swaying in the wind.
The hundreds of exoskeletons show that the babies moulted at least once before leaving the nest.
What a site this must have been..... it breaks my spider-loving heart to have missed it!

June 27, 2012

Working in the garden today I found this amazing spider in a nest under a rock.
It looked so soft and fluffy - complete with winter pj's and woolly blanket!
The play of sunlight on it's hairy body made me fetch the camera.
After taking the photo, I carefully replaced everything as I had found it.
That section of the flower bed will have to wait until spring!

June 26, 2012

Which one of these would be the one that was so camera shy two days ago, I wonder?
Unfortunately the early morning sun was behind them. I asked them nicely to return this afternoon to re-do the shoot, but as you can see, the shock clearly shows on the faces of the two on the right!
Tomorrow I will coax them with apples, because they did not seem to enjoy the guavas much.
Black Collared Barbet - I can't help but think that "Red Headed Barbet" might have
been a more descriptive name for these beauties.