Salutations are Greetings

It's Just My Fancy Way of Saying Hello. - Charlotte, EB White

I was always the "weird kid". The one that loved the creepy crawlies. I've carried my weirdness into adulthood, only I don't give a shit if I'm called weird anymore (to be honest, I didn't much care then, either).

Tarantulas, millipedes, centipedes, bees, wasps (ask me sometime about my fondness for yellow jackets), moths, grasshoppers, crickets.. just about any little living being. And bonus points if they're ghastly or unpopular*. I have always had a soft spot for, I have always loved, the unloved.

But, spiders. I adore spiders. I'm more than a bit of an arachnophile. Spiders cause me to whip out my camera in the middle of a day when I should be doing a million other things, pull up a ladder, and about break my ass to take some snaps from every imaginable angle of the majestic spood who has honored my home with her presence.

Unfortunately, many of those angles are not conducive to excellent shots every time, and the delicate balance I maintained on that wobbly ladder and uneven ground surface made me question my own dedication.

I got some, though.

Say 'ello to my little friend.

Isn't she beautiful?!

Argiope Aurantia (Yellow Garden Spider, Writing Spider) from Araneidae, the Orb Weaver family.

Argiope = Silver-Face

Aurantia = Gilded

The female ranges from 19-28mm. And a gorgeous lady she is!

And a bit more trivia for you: the zig-zaggy web is a stabilimentum. The purpose of the stabilimentum is debated, but it may be to help prevent birds or animals from flying into the web or otherwise disturbing it, or it may be to help the spider to appear larger or to offer camouflage. Regardless, nobody knows for sure.

You just keep your secrets, Aranea.

Argiope Aurantia is not aggressive and is very beneficial.

Think: a mosquito and pest-free evening beneath her web - like a soft (albeit a bit sticky) blanket of itch prevention.

Anyone who protects me from vampire bugs is a hero in my book.

So if you see one of these beauties (or any other living being that's just minding his/her own business) just leave them be. They're more afraid of you than you are of them.

And causing harm to someone for simply existing is just... gross.

Photographers aren't gross, they're amazing and wonderful people that see the beauty in all things.

Like you, you magnificent Shutterbug, you. 🫶

And bonus photo!

The Grasshopper asks that you "take a leap of faith". You must go - go ahead and do it. You have the wisdom that you need, you can get past any obstacles. A symbolism of inner voice - trust yours.

Very short story time. Yesterday I stepped out my back door and a grasshopper fell (leapt?) onto my head.

I can't rule out a planned attack.

Another very short story (that the previous very short story reminded me of). When I was still in undergrad, I went out to my car one morning to find a decapitated grasshopper head on my windshield.

Yes, it absolutely felt like a warning.

Anyway, get out there and take some photos, folks!

*Let it be known, that I loathe and abhor cockroaches and junebugs.

Junebugs, with their association to the Egyptian Scarab, symbolize good luck, transformation, balance, success, and protection.

Lucky me, I am a protected and balanced success story ready to transform.. to the umpteenth power - based on how many of these big bastards have aggressively pinged off of me every time I step outside.

Everyone talks about summer like it’s all barbecues and sunshine, but I’ve seen things. Heard things. Have you ever had a beetle the size of a golf ball kamikaze into your face at Mach 3 with the precision of a drunk fighter pilot?

One buzz near my ear and I’m back in the trenches dodging beetles like I’m in a warzone. Lights on, Junebugs dive-bombing me like it’s D-Day.

I didn’t choose this war. The beetles chose me.

As the target.