A spider web is nature's lace, a symmetrical work of wonder.

Well, a sticky, deadly trap if you're an insect. Then you become just another tasty morsel for the predacious, albeit artistic, spider.

Watching an orb weaver or garden spider maneuver a web is like watching a circus acrobat glide from one silken rope to another.

The finished product--a combination of delicacy and strength--looks like the needle lace doily that your great-grandmother crafted for her parlor chairs.

Sure, some folks hate spiders and every time they see one, they gasp in horror or harbor thoughts of spidercide.

Me, when I see one, I spray a little water to highlight the art. Then I grab the camera.

Fact is, you should welcome garden spiders into your garden and let them "put a spin on it." These little arachnids will snare such insects as flies, gnats and mosquitoes.

Charlotte, where are you?