Naturally Connected

Baby Spiders are Born and Set Free

On the day of the summer solstice, I decided to check on the spider in its cocoon.  It had been a month since my initial discovery the spider living there.  I found that the sack was beaming with life.  The mother was inside with about 15 babies.  There appeared to be an opening in the sack because one tiny spider had emerged on the surface.  I decided that given the numbers of spiders living within, it was probably a good idea to see if I could coax them outside, rather than have them all start to wander inside my closet area.  Gently opening the window, I placed the sheer outside.  Then I went out on my patio to watch what emerged.  Within a relatively short period of time the mother came out and quicky went to explore the outside area around the window.  Then, slowly one by one, the baby spiders began to appear.  Some required a little encouragement.  I rubbed my fingers lightly on the back side of the sheer to get them to move.  After about an hour all of the spiders had come outside of the sack to discover their new home.  They were then free to enjoy the rest of their days in the big open world. 

Spider Emerges from Cocoon

About eight hours after I originally noticed the spider in its cocoon, the spider has emerged and is now tending to the sack on the outside on the curtain.  Note how the yellow bundle inside the sack is more noticible in this image. 

Spider Cocoon

Something drew me toward the sheer drape hanging in my closet this morning.  For some reason I went into the back corner of the closet where there is a window that is almost entirely covered by a large wardrobe to move the sheer and glance out the window.  Then I noticed that there was a fold in the drape that was stuck together for some reason.  As I pulled it apart there was a crackly noise that sounded like a thin sticky paper which was stuck together by gum or something.  When I examined the material up close I discovered that there was a spider inside moving around, and she had a yellow sack of eggs in the cocoon.  Even though I had pulled apart the drape where it had stuck together, there wasn't a clear opening in the little cocoon.  It was a very strong protective place.  It made me wonder, how long would the spider stay there in its little space.  How long does it take for the egg to hatch?  Does the spider go without food during this time? So many questions.

There was no other reason for me to look at the drape than just to notice this little wonder today.  I love these little discoveries, and I am grateful for the wonder of the LIFE surrounding me.  And you too...  The joy of life is there for us all to appreciate as we are present in the NOW. 

Floating on Water

I was captivated by the small indentations in the water around each delicate leg of this skeeter bug.  It was a lovely experience just to watch him swimming around on top of the pond water.  Similarly, I have deep appreciation for the beauty of this creature's small habitat.  Look at the colorful needles of the redwood trees that have become submerged in the water being reflected by the light of the sun.  The space was so peaceful and serene that one could become immersed within the environment and loose complete track of time outside this space. 

Costa Rican Biodiversity

Since my old filmloops are no longer working I just created a new photo album called Costa Rican Biodiversity which includes the variety of creatures that I saw while living in Costa Rica: 

http://www.naturallyconnected.com/photos/costa_rican_biodiversity/

Here is my photo album of Costa Rican Butterflies and Moths:

http://naturallyconnected.typepad.com/photos/costa_rican_butterflies_a/

These are baby hummingbirds who were nested right outside my casita:

http://naturallyconnected.typepad.com/photos/hummingbird_nest_outside_/

Additionally, here is the baby horse that was born right down the street:

http://www.naturallyconnected.com/photos/day_old_baby_horse/

Life Around the Compost Bin

Each time I rotate the black round compost bin after filling it, I find a multitude of life.  Today's new discovery was this caterpillar.  It is interesting with the funny specks of brown appearing throughout its relatively translucent white body.  I wonder if it is just the food it has eaten that we see???

All around the compost bin there are indentions in the container that allow you to place your fingers and spin the bin around.  This brown spider has lived in this crevasse for a couple of months now.  This crevasse is about 90 degrees from the opening, so generally this spider lives in a shaded area facing toward the ground.  Today while inspecting its habitat, I see that this mound of compost includes a dead bug (near its front legs) and a dead caterpillar like the one above (lower right.)  I also noticed for the first time today that there were two little baby spiders of the same kind living two crevasses further around the bin.  One baby spider moved when I blew on it, the other seemed like it might be dead.  Survival of the fittest. 

Resting Moth

It's been over a year now since I have been living in Costa Rica.  Moth sightings are no longer daily events.  However, I did capture this one recently.  I think it is so funny how their butts flip up in the air. 

Bee on Blue

A close up of a bee like this is generally hard to catch.  Often they will accidentally be caught in motion while drinking the nectar from a flower but rarely sitting still.  Thus, you can imagine my delight when I had the opportunity to capture this image of a bee sitting on my car.  Unfortunately, this one was found dead.  Immediately, I wondered what caused the end of its life.  Was it the searing heat from the metal on the car in the nearly 100 degree weather?  Was it a natural end to it's normal life cycle?  Or was it something else? 

Imagine the view the bee sees of the outer surroundings from its large eye.  Notice how this eye also penetrates the inner being of your heart.  Life is indeed precious.  One might be tempted to feel the delicate fur on its upper back, but the touch of the human hand would overpower this small being.  Look at how the light of the sun is reflected from its wings.  The shimmer of the wings are further highlighted in the shadow on the car. 

What can this bee teach us today?  What was the purpose for it crossing paths with us?  Take the time to reflect upon what the lesson might be.  All life forms are meaningful.  Perhaps you may not understand the immediate purpose this bee has in your life.  It may have pollinated fruit that will bless our bodies with nutrition and energy.  It may have pollinated flowers that you will enjoy and appreciate for their beauty.  It may have created sweet honey that you share with your family.  Or it may have simply given us reason to appreciate the universe for a brief moment today. 

This year the news alerted us to alarming drops in bee populations that have farmers concerned.  Is there something that you can do in your own local environment to change the situation?  Learn more about recent US legislation proposed earlier this summer to help address the decline in bee populations. 

Hiding Under the Flower Pots

This morning it was raining, so I decided to move the three flower pots out from under my front porch to capture some of the water.  To my surprise, below each of the pots I discovered large groups of these insects, who immediately scattered for cover.  There was a sole bluish purple colored one among over 100 total.  This I found fascinating.  Can anyone explain?  Does the purple one have a special role in the colony, or is it just another variety?

Temporary Visitor

Did you enjoy catching bugs as a kid or did you come from a household where you were told that bugs were bad?  Do you think the advertising on the television in the United States for insecticides and pesticides have had a significant influence on how humans think about insects?  I would say the answer to this question is yes.  For most people, their immediate reaction when they see a bug is to kill it.  Often this response happens so quickly that a person does not really even think about it.

I encourage you to stop an notice the insect the next time you see one.  If it is in your house and you don't want it there, let it crawl onto a stick or piece of cardboard and place it back outside.  Not a big deal!  Instead of making it into a negative experience, allow yourself to appreciate the good feeling of knowing that you have helped it to get back outside to its natural home where it can be free and go about the rest of its life.  Nature is a blessing in our lives when we take the time to notice. 

Living so closely with all of the bugs in Costa Rica, provided me with many photo opportuities and a much better understanding of some of the different behaviors of certain varieties.  Now that I am back in California, I have had a few spiders here and there but not too many other bugs have come my way.  It will change a bit as spring and summer arrive.  I was surprised to find this flying visitor in my kitchen the other day.  Unfortunately, the green color in his body and neck area did not come through in the photo like I had hoped it would.  I have had difficulty getting the green in other insects to show up when using my digital camera, so there may be a setting in the camera that isn't quite right.  The color might also stand out more if he was on a white wall rather than a yellow one.  Oh well.  Just in case you haven't seen any bugs in your life lately, I thought I would share.