After ‘galumphing' around Central Park Gardens in Davis for some time trying to catch the perfect photo of this brilliant green scarab beetle Cotinus mutabilis (commonly called figeater beetle) it was clear it wouldn't settle and pose for me. Chasing from one end of the garden to the other I thought “aha, I've got you” as it flew into the compost bin. As I opened the bin it was clear that it wasn't me who had ‘got' this beautiful beetle. I watched in fascination as the black widow spun its webbing around the beetle and then ran out attachment lines to the twigs in the compost. Nature itself is quite discompassionate, but I felt attached to this beetle and the happy memories it evoked of a childhood in Australia catching similar beautiful iridescent gems and then releasing them. I decided to intervene and very carefully, using a twig, moved the black widow to one side and extracted the beetle. After carefully removing the sticky webbing from around the beetle it paused in my hand and then flew off across the garden. I was sure the black widow would find a replacement dinner.
For more information https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/PESTS/grfruitbeetle.html
A YouTube video of the beetle versus black widow: https://youtu.be/U4_j9dby-i0