Will You Step Into My Parlor?

Goldenrod spider (female)

 (Misumena vatia)

Lovely things, these pages on the trailing edge of July, the cooler mornings with their high, clear light and floating gossamer clouds from here to there.

There are a few cicadas singing in the garden, but there are not as many as there were a week ago. I have been collecting the mortal husks of those who have expired and interring them in a corner of the garden under the John Davis rose. It is something I do every year, saying thanks and wishing them well on their journey as I tuck them gently into the good dark earth with an old teaspoon.

Late July and early August bring heavy dews, and a little after dawn, the roses in the garden are dappled with moisture and glistening. Several, such as the Lambert Closse rose shown in these photos, are being used by crab spiders like this female goldenrod spider to conceal themselves and pounce on unsuspecting beetles and flies. The little dears can have all the Japanese beetles they want.