This week I did a pair of postings in a single day that I called “beauty and the beast” that was so well received that I thought I would do it again. Earlier this morning I did the “beauty” part with a shot of some crabapple blossoms in my front yard. For the “beast” part, I decided to feature this shot of a little orchard spider (Leucauge venusta) in the garden of my neighbor, fellow photographer and blogger Cindy Dyer. The spider was hanging in the midst of a group of irises that have not yet bloomed and I was happy to be able to be able to frame the shot so you have a sense of the spider’s environment.
As always, I offer my apologies to those who are creeped out by spiders, and recommend that you check out the crabapple posting if you have not seen it yet. As for me, I find spiders to be always fascinating and often beautiful.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
What an intricate web this Orchard spider has woven. It is such a delicate lacy work of art by the industrious spider, who cares not about its beauty but about its usefulness. A wonderful photo that makes the spider stand out against the muted green of the iris leaf. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!
Thanks. You’ve described quite wonderfully why I like this image so much. I am guilty of trying to get too close to my subject sometimes and this shot shows why it can be nice to show the environment.
Nice capture, Mike. While I wouldn’t want one to crawl on me, I sure do appreciate the role spiders play in the environment.
Thanks, Eliza. Appreciation from a distance–I can understand that approach and it is a good reason to shoot with a telephoto lens, which gives the view an impression that I was closer than I actually was.
I don’t think you’re in much danger of creeping anyone out with this one. Interesting: It closely resembles the common orb-weaving garden spiders (at least from this ventral aspect), but that’s definitely not an orb web.
A dorsal shot would have been prettier, but the spider was kind of buried in the vegetation and I couldn’t get a good angle on it. This is a pretty colorful species that is in fact an orbweaver–I can’t explain the tangled wed. (Here’s a shot of a similar spider from a few years ago that shows better the spider’s colors. https://michaelqpowell.com/2017/05/27/changing-lenses/)
Very cool spider. Since I was a kid and read Charlotte’s Web I have always loved spiders! 🙂
Thanks, Judy. It is refreshing to find another person who likes spiders.