On an early morning bird walk last Saturday at the nature center, we discovered that Thanksgiving had come early for one of the park's residents. Or perhaps it was Christmas.
The morning sun glistened off a spider web providing a dramatic back light for an orb-weaver wrapping its catch: a rather large cicada.
Unfortunately, I did not have my camera but Sue Wagoner, a visitor from Illinois, had brought hers along.
Worldwide there are more than 2,800 known species of orb-weavers. Many spin a new web each day, recycling the old one. Generally, towards evening, the spider consumes the old web, rests for about an hour, (only an hour after eating that much protein) and then spins a new web, often in the same location. Orb-weavers produce sticky and non-sticky silk as the above cicada found out.
Thank you, Sue.
•
2 comments:
how I wish i knew all this stuff, will get to know some of it thanks to you. It makes a wander so much more enjoyable.
Hello my friend. There is just so much to wonder about. There's not enough lifetime to explore it all.
Love your photos. Keep it up.
Post a Comment