Charlotte's Web in our backyard

This lovely spider was in our backyard right next to our sandbox for a good 2 months or so. We did a lot of research to make sure she wasn't a dangerous spider. Some people may think we're crazy but we actually caught bugs to feed her. I would venture out some mornings to watch as she repaired and rebuilt her web from the nightly activity. It was fascinating to watch as she delicately spun fibers and moved them into place to create a perfect symmetrical masterpiece. I must admit it was a little creepy when we found the two huge egg sacs in our bushes (that we plan to destroy--we've got to draw the line somewhere). We learned that once she lays her egg sacs, she will usually die around the time of the first frost. Knowing her days were numbered, we had the idea to have my dad preserve her in epoxy like he has done with so many other spiders and bugs for the kids.

I got up the nerve (and it took a lot) to go out there with a plastic container to catch her on her web and put her in the freezer to prevent her from shriveling up. If you look closely at the picture you can see the tell-tale zigzag design spiders of this kind make in their webs.