sheets of silk
an orb weaver's bundle
still buzzing

It's impossible to overlook the plump bodies of Araneus pinioned at eye level across strategic thoroughfares in the garden. They are October's forecasters—advanced warning of a severe winter by the size of their webs. This year's spinners cast large nets for gnats, mosquitoes, hornets, and honeybees. In tatters for most of the day the webs are meticulously mended at dusk. These tightrope walkers are immune to the stickiness of their own capture wire.

longer nights—
Venus slips above
the horizon