Spiders that build Decoys!

Take a look at this Wired article: "Spider That Builds its Own Spider Decoys. There are spiders in the Peruvian Amazon that build fake, decoy spiders in their webs. They're probably a new (to us--not to themselves) species. The decoys look pretty convincing to me, too!

Ubelievably amazing: The Peacock Spider Maratus volans

Someone posted some pictures of these a while back, context-free, and of course I had to track them down! These little guys--and they are tiny--have brightly colored flaps that they raise in courtship display, just like peacocks (hence the name). Peacock Spider is a page devoted to them, whit lots of links going off for more information and videos and images. Better still, it's part of a truly well-organized site devoted to Australian spiders. Here's a lovely video: Catalyst: Peacock Spider - ABC TV Science, taken by Dr Jurgen Otto. And here is Dr. Otto's Flickr stream. I haven't finished looking through all the pictures yet myself. They truly are stunning. I love it when I learn about unxpected wonders.

Link: Spider Silk Strength

Hm, just found an article on Wired about spider silk strength. Apparently, it changes its flex based on the amount and duration of pressure on it & some strands breaking makes the others stronger. There wasn't much about how and why this works. Fascinating stuff.

Neoscona oaxancis

This is an old one/ I am not even sure when I meant to post it, just found it lurking in the drafts folder & figured it was about time the beautiful spider had her day in the sun.

The Certainty of Spiders

No matter where you go, there will be spiders.

Here are a number of them hiding out in tiny cracks in trees in Huntington Beach Parks.

This one is at Worthy Park.

Another resident of Worthy Park

And here's one lurking in Newland Park.

Busy Orb Weavers

Given all the cold weather we've been having, and the rain, I was surprised at how many large webs and weavers were still about. Usually, the first autumn rain drives them all away (or, more likely, kills them).

I spent some time admiring this orb weaver's beautiful silhouette as it worked. There was quite a distance between its chosen supports, so it really had to travel.

St. Francis of the Spiders

Saint Francis shows his love for all living creatures.

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Sorry the blog has been so quiet of late. There have been spiders aplenty in this new garden of mine, fascinating spiders of many hues, but I have usually been in the middle of weeding or digging or planting or moving piled bricks (and disturbing spiders) and have not had my camera with me. SpiderWatch will resume... but I'm not sure when it will become regular again; there are many more garden projects yet to do, and the camera is ill-suited to mud, water, and rock.

Spider Byte

Never kill a spider in the afternoon or evening, but always kill the spider unlucky enough to show himself early in the morning, for the old French proverb says:

Araignee du matin--chagrin;

Araignee du midi--plaisir;

Araignee du soir--espior

(A spider seen in the morning is a sign of grief; a spider seen at noon, of joy; a spider seen in the evening, of hope.)

An old proverb cited in A Spider on the Stairs by Cassandra Chan (a full review is up on Bookwyrme's Lair)

Spiders: Still Going Strong

I had thought the recent cold and rain would have finished off the big spiders for the year. There aren't very many around the yard any more, but on a recent visit to the Shipley Nature Center, I found them still busy spinning and still stacking webs, one on top of another, overhead.

Spider Webs in Huntington Beach Central Park

After the rain, the park was full of these sturdy half-webs.

I tried pinging one of the threads to see if I could spot the builder, but I guess I don't know how to sound much like a bug. The owners were pretty clearly up in the bushes with their feet on the doorbell line, but no one answered my knocking. The centers are interesting, very convoluted and angular.