Sparkle the Spider

Bug Mad Girl decided this week that it was time to let Sparkle the spider go free. She's a House Spider that she caught and has looked after for the last 8 months. Sparkle has been a spidery revelation. I've never been very fond of them, but watching her over the last few months (albeit safely contained in Spider World) has made me actually feel quite fond of her.

Sparkle in Spider World

 Best Sparkle bits:

• We watched her dancing a very wiggly bottom dance, which turned out to be her spinning a thick sheet of web, that she would later fold up to become her egg sacks
• She laid three egg sacks over the 8 months, which she decorated with bits of dried grass and flowers
• All three egg sacks hatched and she was actually quite caring and nurturing towards her babies (well she didn't eat them at least!)
• She was lightening fast when a fly was added to her house and would literally leap from one side to the other and catch them in mid-air
• After catching a big fly, she would carry it round in her mouth for several hours (a bit like a dog with a bone). The fly would gradually shrink and shrivel up as she ate it!
• Bug Mad Girl loved her very much and  took great care of her. She was significantly bigger by the time she was let go and had been very well fed. Bug Mad Girl even took her to school to do a presentation about her and to art club (not sure why she went there, but she did!) 

Sparkle and two of her decorated (camouflaged) egg cases

Sparkle eating a fly and carrying it around in her mouth

I'm not sure what made Bug Mad Girl decide to let her go, but she put her down in the greenhouse so she has some shelter (we'd already put her babies down there). There are plenty of flies and bugs in there, so I think she'll be fine.