The Beauty of Bugs

All my time at the lake means very little time in my garden. I was outside picking flowers for the Lodge--a guest is arriving this afternoon--and took the opportunity to photograph Charlotte. (All big spiders round here are christened Charlotte.)



She has constructed the most exquisite large web right outside my office window, and it's like having a tv nature documentary unfolding right before my eyes. I cheer her on every time she traps and wraps and devours a grasshopper, of which I have too many at this time of year--always. They are so destructive. I assume she will soon have an egg sac, and sometime this autumn we'll have lots of baby Charlottes to carry on her excellent work.

The other architects out back are the wasps. Near one of my rugosas I was clipping sweet peas and happened to notice this:




It's beautiful.

I returned to the house with loads of heather, sweet peas (the fragrant annual ones and the scentless perennial ones), and even a couple of well-timed roses.

Rose of the Day: Clothilde Soupert A few years ago I transplanted this one from a place where it was very crowded, and am happy to see that she is blooming in her new location.



Busy day in town yesterday. After the seclusion of the lake I find the traffic maddening and Concord was an obstacle course. But I had a nice music lesson and it was lovely seeing my friends. I had dinner with one of them at the Thai restaurant on Main Street because the Chap had a boad meeting at suppertime.

My big excursion for today is driving to the airport to collect my visitor.