A Spider in a Bay Tree

It's a long winter for the bay trees in the house. I'm always glad to get them outside for the summer. Being extremely sensitive to the cold they are the last plants to go outside. Bay trees do so much better out in the sunlight.

A small yellow spider has taken up residence in one of them. The underside of the spider is what you can see. You can just barely see the superfine threads of her web. It shows up best where there are dark spaces between the stones in the wall. That tiny white dot on the right is something caught in the web. She is from all appearances, planning to have a large family there. Bays are troubled with scale and maybe the spiders will be a good thing. I haven't got the heart to evict the family anyway. I will keep an eye on them. If I need a bay leaf, I'll get it from the other tree.

Since we have been having rain, the bluebirds are hanging around the garden. It's always a thrill to see them, perching on posts in the garden or sitting on the roof of the house. A garden is a peaceful place, but if you watch there's always a lot going on.