Praying Mantis and Spider

With all the macro photos I've been taking of spiders, we've been paying more attention to the webs in the shrubs near our steps. I'm amazed at how many spiders are in the bushes. It doesn't take long for the spiders to remake the webs after a hard rain.

Last night Dianne and I went for a very quick walk around the community. On our way back home, we noticed a couple tall shrubs that were loaded with elaborate webs. We walked over to take a look and noticed a large spider working on a web. Dianne quickly spotted a praying mantis that was near the edge of the web. I can't believe she picked that out of the dried leaves on the bush! I went to get the camera and Dianne had to point out the praying mantus again when I got back. It seemed like it was stalking the spider -- moving around the shrub trying to get in a good position to nab it. When the praying mantus moved closer, the spider stopped working and stayed in a tight bundle near the center of the web. Oh the excitement!