Friday, August 8, 2008

Nighttime Web Weaver

Haden loves to grab his flashlight and go exploring in the dark. Often he drags me and my camera out on his explorations.


t751


What do you think he found?


t739


We spent several evenings watching this spider.


t740


t742


Not only that, but on the very first evening Haden (eternal Discovery Channel watcher) told me that this type of spider rebuilds his web every night. Sure enough, in the day there is no web, but at night there is web.


t741


t743


According to my son, this spider recycles its web. How about that, a ‘green’ spider!


t744


t745


Every morning, it takes its web apart and it stays in a curl of bark until dark. Haden had pointed that particular piece of bark out to me and he was right, a few evenings later we saw the spider go up to it.


t746


He's as big as the tip of an index finger, well a 16 year old's index finger.


t747


He spins his web so fast, round and round. . .


t754


. . . pulling and tugging. . .


t753


. . . spitting out sparkling twine from his behind.


t755


Walking a tightrope.


t748


t749


He’s so smart!!


t750


The spider, not Haden. Well Haden’s smart too but I was referring to the spider!


t752

24 comments:

  1. Wonderful photographs. Orb web spiders are sometimes so tiny that it is hard to photograph

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fascinating creatures, these...and the photographer, tenacious! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. We have a spider down here that's just like that...web at night and gone in the morning. But I think our is BIGGER and much creepier!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the Nat Geo lesson! I have never seen a spider quite like that. It looks like it has a snail shell on his back.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Uh - that's a fat bugger! Wonderful shots, Lisa!
    Cheers, Klaus

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a wonderful series of photos! I know most spiders spin at night, but I always just woke up to their work, rarely saw it happening. I love this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Haden is blessed with a loving chronicler of his walks. I've learned so much here, thanks to you and him!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Now I am scared to death of spiders but those pictures are amazing, if I was still teaching they would make a great teaching tool!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great series (requiring far more patience than I have)!

    I've watched spiders do their construction jobs on occasion and they never cease to amaze me. If my fading memory serves, not only are they agile enough to balance on a single thread, only the cross-threads are sticky -- or maybe it's the other way around -- either way, they use the non-sticky threads to get around and the sticky ones to catch their food.

    If you really want to watch something fascinating (if a bit disturbing) watch what happens when the web snares something to eat. Those guys can move when they're motivated (hungry). It's a good thing they don't get as big as the ones we used to see in the Saturday morning monster movies...

    Thanks for stopping by
    -Mojo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey! It's been a while since I've checked out some of my fave blogs. I think I'm suffering from withdrawal right now!
    Brilliant post, as always! I love the photos! We're having a tough time with spiders and their webs at our place. I guess that's one of the things we have to live with being in the countryside though!

    When you've got a moment, pop on over :) I've got something for you on my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow!
    You made a spider come into new light for me.
    Beautiful captures. Beautiful.
    Nature..amazing.
    TJ

    ReplyDelete
  12. anglophilefootballfanatic.comAugust 9, 2008 at 6:21 AM

    Ate my comment. Please tell the arachnophobe you killed it. You did, right?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Those pics turned out so well! I can never seem to get web shots to come out. That poor spider reminds me of myself - clean the house today, start over tomorrow, clean it the day after, start over again the next day LOL

    ReplyDelete
  14. EEK! He does look like he has a shell on his back.

    It's amazing how spiders will build a new web every night.

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a wonderful series of photos … from the initial web through the amazing macro shots of this busy spider at work on its web. You’re a much more patient photographer than I am! That last photo is absolutely incredible and had me thinking of Charlotte ;--)
    Thanks for dropping by my Full Moonrise at Sacred Ruminations. My photos were a bit blurry, but my camera is ‘hand held’ and was zoomed big time so I’m grateful they turned out at all.
    Hugs and blessings,

    ReplyDelete
  16. How awesome. What great shots. I am sorry I haven't visited. I have been going through my RRS reader and somehow, you are not there. I just realized today, I haven't been visiting you. I missed the great photos and I love the new look.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Very cool photos!

    I took some pictures of a neat web last week (hopefully I'll have them up on the blog soon), but didn't see the web's builder.

    ReplyDelete
  18. eeekkkk and beautiful all at once!! And of course it's you taking the pics!!!
    spiders are one think that can make me scream!!! yours doesn't look so harmless!!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I didn't know that. WOW!
    I'm going to be watching for that now.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yikes! I have to go with EEEEEEEEK and WOW at the same time...don't like spiders, but those are pretty cool pics!!bb

    ReplyDelete
  21. WOW! This could be a Disovery Channel episode! Absolutely wonderful shots!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love the shots of the spiders! They're incredible such detail!

    ReplyDelete
  23. ewww what an ugly creature! but amazing! :) wonderful close ups.

    ReplyDelete