The Daily Bucket is the place to catch your casual observations of the natural world and turn them into a valuable resource. Whether it's the first flowers of spring or that odd bug in your basement, don't be afraid to toss your thoughts into the bucket. Check here for a more complete description.
It's a great pleasure to host my first daily bucket. Here in Tallahassee, Florida it is a fairly cool day with clouds and a stiff breeze but no hint of rain.
Our big observation this AM was that a Golden Silk spider (Nephila clavipes)had built a web overnight across the front of a rocking chair on our deck.
Sorry no picture as I am temporarily unable to upload anything new.
They are large and impressive spiders (at least the females). The one on the chair is about an inch long (body only) with a leg span of about 3 inches. I've seen them twice that size. It's the first one we've seen this year which is a bit unusual, perhaps due to the drought.
The same chair also houses the nest of some sort of solitary wasp (family Sphecidae). She's found some minute crack in the metal tubes that make up the frame and gotten inside. I only get brief glimpses as she comes and goes.
In non-chair related news we continue to have large numbers of juvenile Green Anoles in our yard. It seems like a very good year for them. Small flocks of ducks flu by fairly often, the ones I've seen well have been wood ducks. For the last few days we've been hearing Bald Eagles as well, indicating that they may be back to nest in our neighborhood again this winter.
That's what I've seen near Lake Jackson just north of Tallahassee. What have you seen and where are you?