12/31/2025
Marina found this photo of Nysa to be particularly capable of heebying her jeebies. That said, this one does also come with some bittersweet news. The structure that Nysa has been building for the last several days, shown here, is an egg sac. It signals the beginning of the end.
Grass spiders are only expected to live for one year. They are born as orphans in the early spring, establish a home by the summertime, mate in the fall, and die around the onset of winter. The egg bearers are expected to outlast their partners—surviving just long enough to produce an egg sac and offer a brief amount of security.
I do not actually know whether Nysa ever did find a mate. Grass spiders will instinctively construct an egg sac regardless of fertility. All I do know is that this endeavor has sapped all of my little friend's energy. Their once robust little butt has shrunk considerably in the few days it has taken to produce this nursery. They haven't engaged in any hunting behavior, and seem almost obsessively glued to this single task.
I am admittedly sad about this, but I have also had time to find peace after Nysa abandoned their original home several weeks ago—probably in search of a safe place to do what they are doing now. I cried quite a bit then, but the loss feels a bit more dignified this time around. There's no sudden disappearance and no unresolved questions; just a graceful and natural goodbye.
They're not gone just yet and I have no idea if I'll get any more opportunities for cool photos, but I'm already endlessly grateful for the six months I've spent caring for and learning from such an incredible creature.
When all is done and I have the funds, I'm definitely getting a tattoo to commemorate the experience. I'll probably just need to run the designs by Marina to mitigate the worst of the jeeb heebing. 😅
Photo title: "Valediction of a Friend (A. pennsylvanica)".
