Captured
A milkweed seed caught in the web of a Banded Garden Spider (Argiope trifasciata):
On a walk in a field, I saw a group of common milkweed plants with open pods, spreading seeds. Some of the seeds were floating in the grasses, suspended. A web? I found the web and a number of caught seeds first, and then the spider. I had to wait between gusts to take this image, with the benefit of a passing cloud to soften the light. Not what the spider hoped to capture, but an unusual combination of two fall favorites.
Nice going. Both the seed and the spider seem to be floating in air.
What a neat juxtaposition. I can imagine the spider looking at that fluff and thinking, “I wish I could arrange my web that nicely.” Things like this always lead me to ponder how many unusual pairings (or events, or ‘things’) we’re missing every day.
Two things I like to photograph (especially milkweed) that I’ve never photographed together, until now. There are so many things we overlook!
An excellent capture, Tom. This has been an abundant year for spiders and their webs. They’re all over the place. With a working barn next to the house, it is a constant task of keeping the barn “web-free.” The last thing needed is for a horse bitten the wrong way by a spider. Their reaction is the same if a person is bitten the wrong way by a spider. The webs are great to have since they will catch a lot of the more pesky insects like flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and the like.
This was the first spider web of note I’ve seen this season. I’ve been on the lookout for Argiope and other orb weaver webs in the last week or two. Thanks!
Very nice and natural cliché ! Thanks to the wind… 🌞
Yes, nice that the wind stopped briefly, and I had a cloud to soften the light.
What a beautiful moment. Well done for capturing it.