Lake Corriher Wildlife Area

There's a little park across from one of my favorite libraries in Rowan county, next to my home county Cabarrus.  Up until today, I've never had the time and/or, I don't know - nerve? -  to cross the road and go explore; but with bright sunshine, cloudless blue overhead, a stiff (sometimes biting) breeze, and temps in the mid-forties, today I just couldn't resist.  It's a lovely little place, with streams and a bridge and with hiking trails around the man-made titular Lake Corriher if you head left from the parking lot, and some nice sporting facilities if you head the other way.  I don't care much about that, but, whatever.  Full disclosure.  And they'd still make for a nice walk.  I think I'll take Cutty there sometime.

*Sigh* I tried putting in a clever little slideshow with html text, buuuuuut no.  So it'll just have to look all low-tech and dorky.  Here are the other pictures:
*HEAVY sigh* Ok, the format is doing something.  Really. Wonky, and I don't know why and I can't seem to fix it.  So Whatever.  I fail at technology.

 

I think I'll go weed OVER THERE

  This is an Argiope aurantia, more commonly known as the Black and Yellow Garden Spider, or the Writing Spider, so called for the dense zigzag of silk, or "stabilimentum," that the females put in the middle of their webs. She's taken up residence in the airy branches of my gigantic Rosemary bush.

 

  And lest you read this entry as surprisingly complacent, the Wiki article the scientific information was gleaned from states that B&Y garden spiders "are generally considered harmless to humans." Still, I've never gone so fast from "Yay, playing in the dirt!" to "I need biohazard gear like NAOW!"

  When I took up gardening, I knew I was going to have to re-educate myself about culturally engrained responses to useful critters like worms and spiders and less familiar beneficials, but my success has been mixed.  I know, theoretically, that spiders are a good thing, but in practice I still tend to be of the "Getitoffgetitoffget-it-OFF!" school of thought.  This morning when I discovered my tenant I must have stood there for five minutes talking myself into a positive frame of mind about it.  It went something like this:

"It will keep the bad bugs down, it's a good thing, really, it's I think I'll go weed OVER THERE."

And yes, I said it all aloud.  I talk to the weeds as I pull them, too.  Don't judge; it helps!

Wiki article here.  Much better photography, in case you, I don't know, actually want a closer look.