Spiders are not one of my favourite creatures. But I have a Brother and a Niece with an almost proselytising enthusiasm for nature and insects and in particular (and to me arachnids, although not insects, are of the same ilk). Blogging has also made me much more aware of the way I regard the things around me. So I was quite enthusiastic when CJ told me that I had a nest of spiders hanging outside (thank heaven) one of my windows. I subsequently found a second one in the garage. CJ showed me what happened when a nest of spiders is disturbed. It disperses with remarkable rapidity. Then, when it realises that the web hasn't been broken and that there is no danger, it regroups into its tight nest structure. Fascinating.
The nest
Mummy protecting or Daddy wanting a meal?
Dispersing
Dispersed
>YUCK<
ReplyDeleteNow...the both of you have just posted two of the same things that I will be posting within the next few days. Believe that?
I, too, have found an icky nest of baby spiders amongst my tiger-lilies in the front of the house...and I, too, took a few pictures. What I did not do, was poke at them to make them all move about and to think that you did makes me cringe and feel all creepy crawly...yuck.
Even these photos - make me feel as though they're crawling all over me.
{The other thing that I was going to post are the photos of the birds thad John shared the other day...we call them seagulls here in the US. I think he called them fulmars or something like that.)
Fulmars are, I think, related to the Albatross (actually they are Petrels) rather than gulls. They are tubernoses and will fire very yucky fishy oily substance at you if you disturb ther nests. Young birds of prey often fall foul of this treatment and die 'cos their feathers are all glued up. Isn't nature wonderful?
ReplyDeleteGB:
ReplyDeleteFascinating photos! A long time ago I may have seen something like this, but seeing these photos is really interesting. Amazing that you captured the whole process.
eeewe - They (the Fulmars) actually fire off yuck at you? OH, I am glad that we don't have those here...I'd probably get shot by one as I'm gangling around the nests for a good photo :)
ReplyDeleteWowsers! I have certainly learned something by this...stay away from those birdy buggers.
will make sure I avoid that window (which one is it) when I come to visit
ReplyDeleteOh my! That is quite a lot of spiders...
ReplyDelete