Sparkling Spider Webs
Some of our busiest days are in the spring when the sun is shining, the flowers are in full bloom, and the temperatures are on the way up, up, UP. But I’d like to let you in on a little secret. Cool rainy fall days are some of the best days to visit the Garden. It’s quiet and peaceful, many flowers are still in full bloom with intoxicating scents, and colors pop against the gray background of the skies.
Every fall the Children’s Garden celebrates October Oddities, celebrating underappreciated oddities in nature. We feature bald cypress tree knees that look like hands emerging from the depths of the wetlands, decorate with lumpy bumpy gourds and pumpkins, and delight in mushrooms, fungus, and insectivorous plants. The most fun? When we find oddities that we didn’t plant or plan on!
On a recent rainy walk from the Children’s Garden to the Robins Visitors Center, I was stopped in my tracks by a shrub that I walk by almost every day. The variegated boxwood looked like something straight out of a haunted house – absolutely covered in sparkly spider webs. What was making them sparkle? The gentle rain was clinging to the thin strands, highlighting each intricate layer of web. As I peered closer, I found all different sizes of perfect spheres of water, seemingly defying gravity. Each one was reflecting a teeny tiny picture of the Garden. Unfortunately, there were no guests nearby, no enthusiastic children to share in the discovery.
As I got closer, my amazement grew – I discovered perfect spheres of water reflecting tiny images of the Garden.
So I’m sharing my discovery now! The next time cool gray misty days are getting you down, take a walk and search for your own sparkly spider web magic. What if you can’t wait for the next moody fall day? Invite someone to go on a spider search with you (preferably, someone who is delighted by all things creepy crawly). Fill a spray bottle with water, find a densely packed shrub with small leaves, and spray away until the spider webs are revealed. And if you absolutely cannot find someone else to delight in your discoveries, stop by the Children’s Garden this October where you’re sure to find a fan of spiders, rainy days, and nature’s most amazing oddities.
The sight that stopped me in my tracks – the unassuming variegated boxwood covered in spider webs.