The pond dig has begun!

[CountryEscape]

I don't usually care much for spiders, but outside they are fine for me, just don't care for the wolf spiders which tend to try to come into my house. This Garden Spider was an exciting discovery! I used to love to watch the huge garden spiders when I was in grade school. There were cedar trees right outside the windows (so we would not day dream watching things going on outside .... LOL) and there was usually 1-3 spider webs in between each set of trees. It was nothing to have 20 or more of them outside the windows of one classroom. This little guy is not nearly as large, but have not seen one is many years, my son thought maybe they were killed out from all the insecticides in the fields. Guess this is a hardy one! I hope he finds lots of bugs to eat and reproduces for next year!

 

[j.w]

OH man CE he's a beauty and did he make that zig zag pattern cuz that's pretty cool!

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, JW, that's their "signature", something they do in their webs. I guess it attracts interest, gives them a better chance of getting a bug, or maybe it disguises them on the web. Just went out to check his size, and he's less than 1" as far as the body, plus the legs. As you can see, each leg has another leg paired up with it, giving the illusion that he only has 4 legs. And, this evening, he was "bouncing" his web. Not sure why they do that, unless it's yet another tactic to attract bugs. Looks really funny, as that web was bouncing in and out really fast!

 

[callingcolleen1]

I love spiders, they will eat so many bad bugs, wonder if they eat Bed Bugs!!! Heard the bed bugs are spreading fast in Canada and those scare me!!!! They say lots of people have them now, my nefew who lives in brooks said they sprayed the whole apartment building for them few months back, then I heard some downtown big apartment he is infested with them. Last night a big wolf spider ran across the floor in front of the TV, just left him alone, just in case.... you never know, he was probally looking for a good meal.

 

[CountryEscape]

As much as I hate wolf spiders .... I'm sorry, but they are just too large and fuzzy!!! ... I have learned to leave them alone. However, I do spray inside my house for bugs every spring and fall, to keep them out. When I first bought my house, I went into the basement, it was evening, dark outside, turned on the light, had to be 20 of them on the floor and walls! OMG, I screamed, ran upstairs, and didn't come back down until I had bug spray in hand. It was quite a mess cleaning them all up. I know they eat bugs, but I just could not sleep at night knowing that one might have gotten under my covers, and would bite me if I rolled onto it. Yuck yuck yuck!!! BUT, because of this forum and spider lovers, I no longer smoosh when when I see it outside. I now leave it go, just like I move the worms, and praying mantises and other bugs.

 

[addy1]

Glad to hear ce! wolf spiders are great predators, I leave them be outside, inside I catch and toss them outside (using a glass and paper not in the hands lol)

 

[j.w]

Yep the old glass and postcard gets them out the door for me. I don't know if we have wolf spiders here. I was just looking to see if we do and found this: http://www.burkemuseum.org/spidermyth/myths/insidewolf.html

 

[CountryEscape]

Thanks for the info, JW, but the ones I'm talking about are hairy, like the first pic. Hmm ... now I wonder what they really are! I just know their bodies are at least 1" long, plus the legs. I seriously think that they are usually more like 1.5-2" long just the body, but maybe I'm exaggerating.
Now, how in the world do you ladies capture one of these FAST spiders?! There is no way I would use a cup and piece of paper to catch one. They are far too fast. When I used to smoosh them under my shoe, it was a hard task to do as well, as they are fast. So, whatever spiders I (used to) have in my house were faster than what you are capturing with a cup, or you guys are just really quick! I don't care to get that close. They don't necessarily jump (the little spiders in our office do, though!), but they run like crazy. I'll see what I can do when/if I find another one in the house. Maybe if I find one in the garage I'll try your technique. Yuck! I would not want to know that I missed capturing one if it was in the house, but I've not seen one for quite a while now. Maybe I'll try to catch one and put it in a jar and take pics and measure it before I release it back outside! You guys should do that with your spiders you catch. LOL

 

[callingcolleen1]

I don't mind spiders, I have so many in the basement running around down there with all the junk I keep hourding. Old houses get more spiders I think, but they are outside everywhere too. Alot of times when I an outside working in the garden at night they get in my long hair and I end up bringing them inside where they fall off in the bathroom when I brush my hair. Then I usually catch them and put them out the window or door, We have big Cat spiders too, and I never want those stuck to my hair!! Yuk, they creep me out the most but oh well!! I did get bit four years ago, by something that moved real fast, and I didn't see, that really really hurt, and two days later I was in the hospital with Streptococcus blood poisoning and was very sick for several days. Lots of people have died from that so I am thankful that I am alive and well, and it took the doctors several hours to figure out what was making me so ill!

 

[callingcolleen1]

You take a glass of some type, place it upside down over the spider, to trap it, slide the paper under the glass and flip back to right side up, spider will slide into jar and release back into it's natural enviorment, the basement! Ha ha ha ....

 

[CountryEscape]

Oh my, Colleen, that's really scary getting that strep virus! And, I know how to catch them with the glass LOL, it's just trying to trap them in the first place, when they see you and dart away! I don't want them darting up my leg or anything. Yikes! I'm still not very comfy with catching spiders, but I did shoo one away that was in the mulch when I was moving some and planting last spring. I'm trying to not kill them, but they still freak me out in the house. If I KNOW I can catch it, I will do so, but if I am pretty sure it's going to outrun me and get away, I may turn to my spray instead. I would not be able to sleep at night if I saw a big spider and knew it was still in my house.

 

[j.w]

Yikes Colleen that would be horrible and so sorry you had to go through all that. Glad you made it and are still among the living

 

[CountryEscape]

Uh oh .... I saw that the big (6") and small painted turtles had moved to the koi pond from the goldfish pond this morning. They came up to eat, got some photos. Then noticed that there is another big turtle in the goldfish pond! So, not sure if the new arrival has been there, or just arrived and shoved the current residents out.
And, the uh oh is because it dawned on me these guys may likely be the culprit in my leak in the bog this past spring. Wondering if they burrowed down into the pea gravel, and when they got to the liner, kept trying to scratch their way deeper, thus the star looking tear! If that's the case, I'll have to watch really closely next spring for more holes. I did put down extra liner at the bottom of both of my bogs, so hopefully they won't tear the liner that is holding the liner .... I can always hope that is!
Here's the bigger turtle on the edge, waiting for some food.

And, the fish were hovering, so I thought I'd take a picture of the female koi I saw spawning this spring ...

and one of the two koi that I think may be the daddy, based on the markings of the babies ... (he's the one on the left of the photo, with the orange head)

And a pic of one of the babies (it's at the top) with some of my other koi, Lucy (redhead, LOL) and an Orengi Matsuba I purchased last winter.

 

[addy1]

nice looking fish ce! I have not seen any turtles except the land turtle.

 

[callingcolleen1]

CE, Turtles do bury deep into the mud naturally over the winter, you may be right about them tearing the liner! Nice KOI CE, like the one with the orange head lots.

Yes it is a good thing I am alive, cause who would care for the ponds and Poppy AND the hubby too!! I was lucky, was only in the hospital for a week, but was very week for two weeks after that. That was my first and hopefully last time in the hospital, cause what a shock the that was!! I was under the impression that your family doctor would visit you, but you get a different doctor almost every day! The poor old lady next to me didn't know what was going on cause every day a different doctor would change her meds cause he didn't like what the doctor before was giving her! Then I met this lady who told me she was in a coma for a month cause someone gave her the wrong medication! Then there was another lady that I knew who's husband was in the same floor as me and she told me that the nurses forgot to give her husband his medication! Then someone died in the room across the hall from me, and they brought these people in with very large clean up bins and purple bags and took away the body while I watched, then moved a new person into the room very shortly after, I thought if someone died they might "freshen up the room" with a fresh coat of paint at least and a new bed... at least wait till that persons ghost is gone! But no.... then I wanted to tell that poor lady that somebody just died a hour ago in that bed that she was laying on! Then I wondered how many people died in the bed I was laying on, and Hubby was making non stop jokes about it. After that I started sleeping in the couch in the visitors room down the hall till the nurses came and got me, dragged me away back to that bed where people most likely died on!!! I couldn't get out of that hospital fast enough!!!