We saw last week a silent September drama of the most serious sort for those concerned. The opening scene was a wildly fluttering Cabbage White Butterfly that was caught in several strands of a web.
Shortly after, the creator of the web, apparently a Hammock Spider, appeared from its hiding place and began spinning threads tighter and tighter around the Butterfly until it couldn’t flutter.
In about 15 minutes, the live Butterfly appeared to be submissive and was mummified in silk.
Then, the Spider delivered its poisonous coup de grace. It did not appear to cause pain. (Brooklin, Maine)