Pictured to the left is, as the title says, the hardest working spider in the bug biz. For the past five nights, beginning not too long after sunset, this spider (which I believe is an orb weaver, although I'm no spider expert) has laboriously constructed a web running from the gutters over the door to the deck to the deck railing to the far door-frame--a span of about thirty square feet. Then, sometimes between 1:30 or 2 am, when I go to bed, and 7:30 or 8 am when I get up, he takes the entire web down so as not to intrude on our bird-feeding or other deck activities.(I'm aware that the photo is somewhat blurry, but when you're shooting at an odd angle sans flash at night through a glass door, any recognizeable photo is an accomplishment!)
No, the web is not being torn down by us or by birds, squirrels, or other critters. If that were the case, there'd be a few strands of the web left (as there are with other webs left by other spiders on the back deck). But this guy leaves absolutely nothing behind... and you have to appreciate that level of spider consideration!
If you ever get the opportunity, you should watch the spider take down the web. It is amazing to watch them detach the threads and carefully ball up the entire project leaving it stuck somewhere.
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