These spiders have webs all along the trails around the Audubon Swamp Garden at Magnolia Plantation. During our visit June 26th there was a lot of mating activity. Look closely in this photo and you will see the much smaller black male on this side of the more colorful female. An exoskeleton she recently shed  is stuck in the web just above them.

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

Our guide on the walk says these spiders won’t jump out onto human passers by. I reminded myself of that a few times as we passed under some webs. We’ll return in a few weeks and see how family life is progressing.

In the mean time the pond surfaces were active with dragonflies in a variety of colors scooping up other insects.

Spider lilies didn’t seem to mind the heat with their roots in several inches of water.