That gal can spin!

A few weeks ago I noticed a beetle caught up in a spider trap. Not really an organized web; and I  thought maybe she got more than she bargained for. I kept waiting for the beetle to break free as it struggled. I was wrong.

This web mistress would wrap some silk around and around the beetle, then climb up above it and haul it up a few inches closer to the top of her hideout.

As she worked I admired the beautiful patterns on her back, and the bright orange marking on her abdomen.

She took more than a day to consume her prize. She must be a pretty good huntress, she already has 2 egg cocoons behind her.

On the second day she was still working at her meal, and her abdomen looked twice as big. She's moved away so I don't have any more pictures. Maybe she got camera shy.