With summer winding down and the beginning of spider season in full swing, everyone paid special attention to where they walked or flew, as no one (except perhaps the silliest of the little chipmunks and squirrels) wanted to end up face-first in the web of a funnel- or orb-weaver.

When, on occasion, a spider moved headquarters, Squirrel’s network of informants — bees, cicadas, and katydids — would send word, and Squirrel would venture out at night to gather the sticky threads of the abandoned web and add them to his growing stash.

(September 2023)

Story © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another vignette in my ongoing series of Tiny Garden Stories: peaceful 1-minute tales that let you read like a kid again. Click one of the first two buttons below to go to (or back to, if that’s where you fell down the rabbit hole) either the “Public Garden” archive page or (if you’re a Story Club member) to the members-only “Private Garden” page. Or click the third button to learn more about my Tiny Garden Stories. If you’re new to Tiny Garden Story-land and would like 10 days’ worth of stories from our first year, visit ReadPurrNewsletter.com.