Northern Illinois Weekender - 091220

Weekender NORTHERN

ILLINOIS

YOUR GUIDE TO ARTS & LEISURE IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 • ShawMediaIllinois.com

WINE WINNERS James Nokes has some picks for your game day at home / 2

SWEETNESS

Explore a lavender farm hidden in Starved Rock Country / 4

GAME ON

Kick off the NFL season with a trip to a local beer garden / 5

UNCORKED

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS

An expert taster shares favorite finds to consider adding to your own wine racks.

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

2

By JAMES NOKES

Wines that are ready for some football

T

raining camp was in Napa Valley, when Jerry Rice played for the Oakland Raiders.

The NFL Hall of Famer spent all but 11 of his 303 career games in the Bay Area. Cross a bridge or two, and you’re in the bucolic countryside of Napa and Sonoma valleys in no time.

“Napa Valley was just across the bridge for me, when I played for the 49ers and the Raiders,” said Rice in an Instagram Live call with Justin Vineyards and Winery founder Justin Baldwin. “I’d visit Napa Valley wineries when the Raiders had their camp in Napa. I was fascinated by all the different wineries.”

Football fans are hungry for action as they await the start of another season after no preseason NFL games and limited training camps. The fallout from COVID-19 has led to cancellations, postponements and delays across college football. But there’s reason to celebrate this weekend, as college football games begin to dot the sports landscape and the NFL launches in earnest.

The following wines would be perfect to uncork for a noon or 3:25 p.m.

kickoff or “Sunday Night Football” game. Hopefully, it can turn into a celebratory bottle, but as this long-suffering Chicago Bears fan knows, another quarterback competition doesn’t bode well for successful years and long postseason runs.

With three Super Bowl rings, Rice knew playoff success in his career.

“I always wanted people to leave the stadium having seen something special after watching me play,” said Rice in the hour-long call during which three wines were tasted and some football stories were spun.

The Justin Reserve Tempranillo 2017 ($45) was awesome and unlike anything else in their lineup. There were flavors of plum, strawberry, tobacco leaf and vanilla. There’s less than 1,000 cases of Tempranillo produced in California, and this is one worth finding. It would pair well with any grilled meats cued up for a football game.

Tasted for the second time this summer, the Justin Isosceles 2017 ($76) is a cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot blend. A Sunday night dinner of prime rib, rotisserie chicken or lamb

chops before the night game would pair well with the wine. Baldwin said the merlot makes the “most food-friendly wine” they produce “more enjoyable.”

“Cab franc is my favorite grape,” Baldwin said. “It gives off flavors of blueberry, violet, lavender and spice.”

Not part of the call, but ready for a football- and wine-inspired weekend are the following wines.

With any grilled foods that can get put into a bun – cheeseburger, smoked sausage or hot dog – zinfandel seems a natural mate. The Robert Hall Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel 2017 ($42) had brambly blackberry fruit flavors and a rich mouthfeel that would play off the juicy, fatty, smoky meats.

This budget-friendly but high on quality option would please a group of friends coming by to watch the game – the Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($14). It checks in with plush tannins and blueberry flavors and can pair with grilled filet mignon, topped with an herb and garlic butter, or a grilled pork chop.

If seafood is on the menu, the Foxen Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2016 ($38) is a

medium-bodied red with raspberry, tobacco, spice rack and loamy earth flavors. Pinot and salmon bring out the best in each other; use a cedar plank on grilled salmon to further the experience.

Lastly, if it’s a late start to the morning and brunch is served with some syrupy french toast, chicken and waffles, or perhaps a chicken or seafood salad, then consider Maso Martis Brut ($21) from Italy’s Trentodoc region.

While other wineries in Italy turn to Prosecco, the Stelzer family wines are made in the traditional method and the results are impressive.

This wine would kick off the day right with green apple, grapefruit and zesty citrus flavors.

Hopefully, the bubbles are of a celebratory nature. Given the familiar quarterback questions in Chicago, I’ll hold onto hope and savor what’s in the glass.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

New reads to curl up with during this fall season experience is transformative for all involved.

By ANGELA HAUPT

Special to The Washington Post

“The Office of Historical Corrections,” by Danielle Evans (Riverhead, Nov. 10)

There’s little we can count on during this strange, pandemic-centric interlude of life. But this much is certain: There will be books to entertain, distract and comfort us. Here are a few that span a variety of genres.

“Anxious People,” by Fredrik Backman (Atria, released this week)

What a prescient title: In his new novel – after “Beartown” and “A Man Called Ove” – Backman again captures the messy essence of being human, and what it’s like to be pushed to the brink emotionally. “Anxious People” is ripe with dark humor, a layered tragicomedy about a would-be bank robber with six degrees of separation from a motley crew of hostages. It’s clever and affecting, as likely to make you laugh out loud as it is to make you cry.

“Leave the World Behind,” by Rumaan Alam (Ecco, Oct. 6)

Race, parenthood and privilege complicate this suffocating suspense novel from the author of “Rich and Pretty” and “That Kind of Mother.” A white family is vacationing in a Hamptons rental when a Black couple knocks on the door, claiming they’re the homeowners and that they need shelter from a blackout. Fear seeps in as questions about the visiting couple’s true identity escalate. Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts are set to star in the movie

adaptation, which will air on Netflix.

“Black Sun,” by Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery/Saga, Oct. 13)

Roanhorse opens a new trilogy with “Black Sun,” an epic fantasy inspired by pre-Columbian Americans. The plot centers on three characters whose story lines converge during a solar eclipse, in scenes fraught with magic and danger. Readers are in for intricate world-building, engrossing adventure and stunning backdrops.

“Memorial,” by Bryan Washington (Riverhead, Oct. 27)

Washington’s first novel – following 2019’s visceral short-story collection, “Lot” – is about a gay couple, Benson and Mike, who live together in Houston but are questioning their relationship. As Mike rushes to Japan to say goodbye to his estranged, dying father, his mother arrives in Texas, becoming Benson’s unconventional roommate. The

In this collection of short fiction, Evans’s storytelling shines. A Confederate flag-themed bikini and replica of the Titanic are among the absurdities she uses to help illustrate race in modern-day America.

Her characters are sharp, with terrific depth, and her prose is a pleasure to read. It’s a strong, acerbic followup to her prize-winning 2010 release, “Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self.”

“Mediocre (The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America),” by Ijeoma Oluo (Seal, Dec. 1)

Oluo’s “So You Want to Talk About Race” has been one of the most recommended books during the ongoing racial justice movement. Her new offering is a nuanced analysis of white male America – and how white supremacy has affected politics, football and more. Oluo deftly combines history and sociological study with personal narrative, and the result is both uncomfortable and illuminating.

“Secret Santa,” by Andrew Shaffer (Quirk, Nov. 10)

Merry, happy, horrifying everything: Shaffer’s horror-comedy, set in a 1980s publishing house, is billed as “’The Office” meets “The Shining.”

It’s about a cursed gnome doll that someone receives during a company gift exchange, leading to ho-ho-horrible events. Expect a touch of the supernatural, malefic colleagues and plenty of eccentricity.

Dave Specter

Joanna Connor

3

Andrew Diehl

The Venue creates havens for music lovers indoors and out

T

SHAW MEDIA

he Venue, the noted music performance space that launched last year in Aurora, will host a series of shows in adjacent Mundy Park throughout the month of September. Music will be in the air most Thursdays through Saturdays.

Ticket prices range from $10 to $30 and most shows begin at 8 p.m. Social distancing rules will be in effect in the roomy outdoor park that has professional sound and lights supplied by The Venue. Show schedule and ticket information can be found at themusicvenue.org.

“For those who have missed their music festivals this summer, this is an opportunity to see some top musical acts at a reasonable price outside while the weather’s good; we take social distancing seriously and will keep things as safe as we can,” the Fox Valley Music Foundation’s Dave Glynn stated in a news release. “There’s no reason not to visit every night we have music, hear some amazing bands, bring your bag chair and enjoy a cold beverage.”

Here’s the September schedule for the Music in Mundy Outdoor Series.

Be sure to bring bag chairs, the foundation suggests.

will lead this high-energy, high-octane blues band. Tickets cost $15; 8 p.m.

Tickets cost $15; 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Saturday, Sept. 19

Brother John Kattke – smooth blues vocals and fast keys; you’ll never sit down. Tickets cost $20; 8 p.m.

Guy King – Sophisticated blues, jazz,

Maurice John Vaughan – A powerful

soul and R&B; if you love B.B. King and Ray Charles, you’ll love Guy King, concert organizers said. Tickets cost $20; 8 p.m.

songwriter and true blues original. A triple threat on guitar, saxophone and vocals. Tickets cost $20; 8 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 13

Dave Specter – Dave and his friends will play selections from his latest album, which has garnered a four-star review in the new Downbeat and is No. 1 on the Living Blues Radio Chart.

Tickets cost $20; 8 p.m.

Album cover tribute series: Tom

Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “Dam- the Torpedoes.” The indoor performance

has sold out, with general admission tickets offered in Mundy Park for $10 for the 7 p.m. event. The show will be projected on the brick wall. The ensemble includes Scott Tipping, Scott Stevenson, Adam Gardner, Chad Watson and Justin O’Connell.

Thursday, Sept. 17 Majors Junction – Rich textures created by the band have been described as “Plush lonesome Western blues.”

Melding genres, the band is one of the original founders of the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival. Tickets cost $10; 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18 Chicago Blues Angels – Mondo Cortez

Sunday, Sept. 20

Thursday, Sept. 24 Andrew Diehl and The Nightmen – A favorite from past Blues on Water Street fests in Batavia, you will love the blues as much as Andrew when he’s performing. Tickets cost $10; 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 25 Joanna Connor – a total blues guitar shredder, never a dull moment with Joanna and her band. Guitar World writes: “Joanna Connor might be the best – or most original – blues-based slide guitar player you’re likely to come across today. Or tomorrow.”

Saturday, Sept. 26

October outdoor concerts also are offered. In case of bad weather, shows will move inside The Venue and will be limited to the first 50 ticket buyers. Indoor shows in the 200-seat space will follow rules with regard to face coverings and social distancing. Each table is more than 6 feet apart, with only two patrons per table. Temperatures will be taken of staff and patrons at the entry point.

The Venue will be deep-cleaned prior to the show.

“We want to provide a safe environment for patrons, volunteers, staff and performing artists,” Glynn said.

The Venue is owned and operated by the nonprofit Fox Valley Music Foundation, which is comprised of music lovers, music educators, arts enthusiasts and people who have spent years in the business of music.

To learn more, visit foxvalleymusicfoundation.com.

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

GOING LIVE

Photos provided

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS

4

STARVED ROCK COUNTRY Dedicated to growing the awareness of everything the Starved Rock area has to offer

HEAVEN SCENT

Ryan Searl - rsearl@shawmedia.com

Explore a lavender farm offering fragrant tours, classes

By RYAN SEARL

N

rsearl@shawmedia.com

estled along the Nettle Creek about a half-hour drive to the east of Starved Rock State Park, you’ll find one of the area’s best-kept secrets, the Nettle Creek Lavender Farm.

Established formally in 2012, the lavender farm is a full-fledged botanical wonderland. The rural farm is a must-visit site for any plant enthusiasts passing through the area, particularly those who love lavender.

The farm grew out of Maggie Smith’s passion for plants. A decade ago, Smith was working full-time in retail and gardening on the side as a hobby. While experimenting with herbs, she was struck with the beauty and versatility of lavender, as well as its famously fragrant scent.

“There are over 450 different vari-

eties of lavender, I don’t think people realize just how many types there are,” said Smith on a tour of her farm.

“Some are better for food and potpourri, others are perfect for essential oils and cut flowers. We have 17 varieties being grown on the farm now, about 12 of those in large quantities.”

On a tour through the rows of plants, Smith proved to be a wealth of knowledge on the topic of lavender.

She explained that the legendary scent comes from the plant’s oils. So that while the flowers give off their wonderful fragrance, the stems and leaves retain quite a bit of aromatic oil. She recommends people keep both, as they can be dried and used in potpourri.

Thicker lavender stems, like those found on Violet Intrigue, can be soaked similarly to applewood and used as flavorful barbecue skewers. What you can use your lavender for will be determined by when you pick it.

“This one’s a little early, it does

have some buds, but you’d want to wait until a few more are open,” Smith said. “If they were being collected for distilling for oils, we’d want to wait for at least 50% of the flowers to be open, but before they go to seed … as the flowers open up, the oil inside them begins to build up. Which is what’s needed for collecting oils.”

In addition to regular farm-stand hours and you-pick flower dates, Nettle Creek Lavender Farm hosts a variety of socially distant outdoor activities, such as farm tours and classes.

“I’ve hosted tours for single people during open house hours, all the way up to large corporate retreats and garden clubs,” Smith said. “We also host a lot of tutorial classes, both at the farm and out in the community.

For a set price, we provide all the materials you’ll need to make beautiful wheat-and-lavender wreaths and blueberry-lavender muffins. Those are just a few of our recent workshops.”

If you’re looking to get a taste of the classes, but avoid the crowds, Smith also offers workshop kits on her website. These DIY activities are a great way to experience what Nettle Creek has grown – all from the comfort of your own home. Visit nettlecreeklavenderfarm.com for more information.

The farm also hosts regular dropin light yoga classes, where you can bring your own mat and enjoy a session of stretching between rows of fragrant lavender. You’ll even be accompanied by Kiwi the Chihuahua, the resident farm dog.

“Since goat yoga is so popular right now, we’re looking into offering Chihuahua yoga,” Smith added with a laugh.

The Nettle Creek Lavender Farm stand will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8255 Pioneer Road in Morris. For future hours, consult its Facebook page at facebook.com/nclavenderfarm or call 815-325-1770.

backyard

5

Beer gardens provide outdoor oasis for summer and fall nights

I

By JONATHAN BILYK For Shaw Media

n more normal times, the acronym “BYOB” could not be spoken anywhere near the sprawling beer garden at Hawthorne’s Backyard.

But as manager Greg Karellas says, 2020 has put a new spin on the acronym at the West Chicago beer garden. While you still can’t bring your own beer, you are encouraged to “bring your own bags” to play sack toss.

“It’s the only kind of BYOB we allow on the patio,” says Karellas with a laugh.

Many brewery and tavern owners have expanded operations onto sidewalks and parking lots, finding creative ways of hosting distanced patrons. Others already had outstanding patios allowing patrons to get off their couches and plant themselves on a stool for an adult beverage and a bite to eat.

This summer, few establishments have proven more essential for relaxation than beer gardens.

Located at 1200 W. Hawthorne Lane, about a mile and a half west of Route 59, Hawthorne’s long has boasted one of the region’s most expansive beer gardens. In normal years, the tavern’s 4-acre setting would summon guests to the sand volleyball courts, Wiffle ball field and lawn games, or to gather around the fire pit while enjoying live music on weekends.

This year, some of those elements remain, including the live music and bags games.

With ample room for proper distancing and mask rules firmly in place, the Hawthorne’s Backyard patio has remained a draw, Karellas said.

Photo provided

Known for its food, drink and outdoor games, the 4-acre Hawthorne’s Backyard has loads of space to spread out these days.

The food menu is extensive, including ribs and regular pig roasts.

Northern Illinois is lucky to have an abundance of stellar beer garden choices. Some are defined by their ambience and recreational options, while others simply offer top-notch beer choices. Here are a few highlights from across the region:

full menu for lunch and dinner.

What to do: During a normal year, Fatty’s patio is the place to be on Northern Illinois University football game days. However, Mid-America Conference teams are sitting this year out. It’s also an official Chicago Blackhawks bar, offering televised sports on the large brick patio.

DeKalb County

DuPage County

Fatty’s Pub & Grille 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb

Solemn Oath Brewery 1661 Quincy Ave., Suite 179, Naperville

What’s on tap: Fatty’s offers a lengthy assortment of craft beers, including from DeKalb’s own Forge Brewhouse, as well as standard domestic and imported varieties, plus a

What’s on tap: Its own craft brews include selections like the Lu Radler, which is blended with grapefruit soda See BREWS, page 6

Double the fun at Two Brothers’ Oktoberfests

T

wo Brothers Oktoberfest will return Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Two Brothers Tap House in Warrenville, and Sunday, Sept.

20, at the Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora.

“Steins full of Atom Smasher.

Live oompah music. The German food favorites. It’s one of the best times of the year here at Two Brothers,” a news release stated.

“While we would love to throw a huge party where we pack the place and dance the day away to the glorious sound of tubas, we realize that is not possible. Fortunately, we do have the outdoor space and multiple locations to be able to host a safe, socially distanced Oktoberfest and keep our tradition alive.”

Two Brothers will break up Oktoberfest into three sessions at each location. Each session will require a reservation and a deposit of $10 per person, of which 100% will be put toward one’s bill. In between sessions, the staff will clean and sanitize, the release stated.

Reservations are required for all outdoor seating. Indoor seating will be available on a first-come basis. People should make one reservation for their entire party to ensure they sit together. This is a seated, table-service event only.

Guests only may get up from their table to use the restroom. The event will be held rain or shine.

For details, visit twobrothersbrewing.com.

–Shaw Media

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

BREWS

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS

6

• BREWS

Continued from page 5 and billed as the “official beer of patio season”; and Black is Beautiful Imperial Stout.

What to do: Enjoy lots of space and fresh craft beer and seltzers. The 4,200-square-foot beer garden has tables spaced up to 12 feet apart. Food trucks stop by regularly.

Grundy County Clayton’s Tap 122 W. Washington St., Morris What’s on tap: Clayton’s offers 50

domestic and imported beers, according to its website, along with a full menu, including breakfast.

What to do: Clayton’s has been a neighborhood gathering spot for more than four decades. Second-generation owners added a beer garden in 2004, and it’s been a popular stop in downtown Morris during patio season ever since. Clayton’s offers live entertainment regularly.

Kane County The Filling Station Pub & Grill 300 W. Main St., St. Charles

What’s on tap: A changing assortment of craft brews from throughout the Chicago area and the nation is available on tap and in bottles and cans.

What to do: Flight has added outdoor seating to give patrons the chance to enjoy brews under the sun and the stars. Food trucks also stop by, and there are trivia contests.

LaSalle County

tures its Forty1-Eighty 8 brew, which they call “farm to foam beer.” It’s named for the GPS coordinates where both its hops and barley are grown and brewed. The Lone Buffalo offers a full menu.

What to do: Set in downtown Ottawa, the well-known spot has claimed a portion of the adjacent Jackson Street block for an expansive outdoor tented dining and drinking area. Reservations are encouraged.

Broken Oar 614 Rawson Bridge Road, Port Barrington

Flight Tasting Room & Bottle Shoppe 508 Center Parkway, Suite C, Yorkville

COUNTRYSIDE VILLAGE GIFTS 1540 N. DIVISION BRAIDWOOD, IL 60408

McHenry County

Two Brothers Roundhouse 205 N. Broadway, Aurora

Kendall County

9:00AM-2:00PM (Rain or Shine) AT

What’s on tap: Tangled Roots fea-

What’s on tap: It features its own award-winning craft brews. A seasonal specialty is its Honey Graham Cracker Coalminer Porter, made to complement s’mores by the fire. New beers or seltzers are added regularly.

What to do: There’s live music on Saturdays, and a large shaded patio.

Food trucks visit and you can bring your own edibles.

a full brewpub experience. That includes a broad menu, including breakfast choices with artisan coffee on weekends at its cafe. But its main draw is its artisan beers, which it has offered for more than 20 years as one of the first craft breweries in Illinois.

What to do: The beer garden is in the courtyard of the historic limestone roundhouse that houses the brewery, tap house and restaurants. It offers live music on weekends, along with other entertainment options, such as its Brew and View free showing of classic movies.

September 19, 2020

Tangled Roots Brewing Company – The Lone Buffalo 812 La Salle St., Ottawa

What’s on tap: In addition to a wide selection of beers, The Filling Station boasts an expansive menu.

What to do: It’s at home in a historic former gas station smack in the middle of St. Charles’ downtown, not far from the Fox River. The patio is replete with shade from mature trees and tables under umbrellas.

It has earned a reputation as both a family-friendly restaurant and one of central Kane County’s hottest spots in the evening. Live music is offered on select weekend days.

What’s on tap: Two Brothers offers

Village Market - Open Air

Scorched Earth Brewing 203 Berg St., Algonquin

What’s on tap: The Broken Oar has

an expansive food menu that includes weekend breakfast choices and a Friday fish fry. Its Fox River location offers patrons the option of docking their boat and coming ashore for some fun.

What to do: As McHenry County’s largest outdoor dining and beer garden, The Broken Oar offers space to spread out and enjoy the scenery, or take in the live musical acts.

Will County Garage Band Brewing 15025 S. Des Plaines St., Plainfield What’s on tap: Fresh craft beers are brewed on site.

What to do: On the family-friendly patio, patrons can take in diverse musical acts.

Specialty Food Vendors Local Farmers 60+ All Handmade Artisans & Crafters Wine Samplings Food Trucks

CDC guidelines will be followed.

Sanitation Stations. No Pets.

1540 N. Division • Braidwood, IL • 815-458-2191 15 miles south of Joliet on I-55 & Rt. 113. Exit 236 countrysidevillagegifts.com facebook.com/countrysidevillagegifts/ ountrysi

SM-CL1813970

7

By PAM OTTO

Taking interesting dives into the natural world around us, Pam Otto opens new avenues of exploration.

Argiope’s web earns title of ‘writing spider’

“L

et me show you something hideous!”

My friend Mrs. Janet was pretty emphatic as she pulled her phone from her purse.

Knowing that Janet works with kids, and having heard some of her war stories of what can emit from those little bodies – especially when they’re sick or hurt – I was hesitant to look at first.

But I quickly changed my mind when I heard her mutter, as she scrolled through her photos, two words that when combined form my favorite phrase of the season: “Enormous” and “Spider!”

It seems that Mrs. Janet’s husband George had come upon a web and spider, the likes of which he had never seen before. He was struck by its bold colors – deep black and bright yellow – as much as by its size, which consisted of a 1-inch body surrounded by legs that were half again as long. Yep, nearly 3 inches of spider, suspended on a proportionately large web that was strung between two plants.

Impressed on a number of levels, George texted a photo of the spider to Janet. And she, good friend that she is, then shared it with me.

What George had found was a female Argiope aurantia, the black and yellow garden spider. I’ve heard kids also call these banana spiders, no doubt due to the bright yellow markings splashed across the critter’s dark, bulbous abdomen. This area stands in stark contrast to the front part of the spider’s body, the cephalothorax or prosoma, which typically is a silvery white.

The spider’s scientific name alludes to both of these striking features. The genus name Argiope was taken from Greek mythology and means “of the silver face,” while the species name aurantia basically means “overlaid with gold.”

Even though these references relate to colors, rather than precious metals, in my book Argiopes really are as good as gold. A native predator, the garden spider spins its web in sunny areas of tall vegetation. The stunning orb web, characterized by a distinctive “zipper,” or zigzag pattern down the middle, catches all manner of flying and hopping insects including, in our area, a large number of nonnative, leaf-gobbling grasshoppers.

(True story: One day we watched as a large grasshopper devoured a leaf of milkweed. That’s right – milkweed. The plant that’s supposed to be rife with toxins and fed upon only by

Morguefile photo

A female Argiope encases a grasshopper in silk using a maneuver known as the wrap attack. Once the prey is immobilized, the spider will bite and kill it. Although lethal to insects, Argiope venom is not considered medically significant to humans. specialized consumers, like monarch butterflies. Clearly those levels must drop as the plant ages. Either that or there’s a new race of super-tough orthopterans out there.)

Scientists are divided in their opinions of just what function the Argiope web’s “zipper” performs. Also called the stabilimentum, the structure is thought by some to prevent birds from crashing into the web and wrecking it.

Another theory states that the zigzag pattern has an ultraviolet quality that is attractive to insects; this theory seems to make sense when you consider that young Argiopes spin larger, more circular stabilimenta.

(However, it’s been shown experimentally that hungry spiders sometimes forego spinning any “zipper” at all, and yet their webs still catch prey.)

Still other arachnologists believe that

the structure provides camouflage for the spider, or that it simply is there to add heft and support to the web.

Regardless of its true purpose, the stabilimentum is definitely responsible for two other common names for Argiopes: the “writing spider,” for the way the zigzags resemble scrawled handwriting, and the “zipper spider” for the structure itself.

Every year at this time, I head out in search of Argiopes. Some years I’m lucky, some years not. My results have been mixed. One year I found three webs, each adorned with a stabilimentum down the middle, but zero spiders. I looked carefully along the stems of the grasses where the web is spun, as well as in the grass below, but bupkis. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Just the zipper, in an orb web.

I don’t know if the spiders all heard

me tromping closer, and ducked out of sight, or whether they had been predated upon by something that found them just before I did. In all three cases, the webs were in good shape, indicating that they recently had been maintained.

And so my search continues. If you happen upon an Argiope, I’d love to hear about it. Drop me an email, or give a call. And if you can send a photo, even better. I love looking at these spiders’ graceful lines, the exquisite features of their markings, the intricate detail in their webs.

Plus, I’d be able to return a favor. I could share the picture with Janet.

• Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the St. Charles Park District.

She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

GOOD NATURED

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 12, 2020

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS

8

LIVE THE HARBOR L I F E

AUTUMN

Adventure Adve

boat boat rentals rentals and and vacation va c a t i o n

BOOK BOOK NOW NOW

Pontoon Boat Rentals

SM-LA1802289