If it’s any consolation at all to you spider-hating folks, soon it will be cold and all the spiders (and all the pictures of them) will eventually be in short supply.  But for now, I have a new picture.  This evening, I went back to check on our baby mantis (who is in about the same spot as the other day) and I came upon a rather impressive sight:  I found a huge reddish-brown spider snacking on a yellowjacket.  There was a light breeze and it was difficult to get a good close-up picture, but I tried my best...

spider eating yellowjacket
click on the picture to view a larger image
 

I returned a few minutes later to catch this beast for the Spider House, but she had dragged her dinner away to a safe spot behind a drainpipe.  But I’ll check back soon.