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LinkedInPosts Tagged: web
The Arachnid Version of a Web Designer and Developer
Orb-weaver spiders know a thing or two about web design and development. And their skills have nothing to do with computers. Have you ever stepped out into your garden in the early morning and seen a spiral or wheel-shaped web glistening with droplets of dew? And encountered the web developer...
An orb weaver spider with its prey, a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the spider and the bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
After breakfast, the spider slides down a stem to find a shaded spot away from the blazing sun--and to rest for a bit. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A Spectacular Spider
You may not like spiders. You may have Arachnophobia, a fear of spiders, or maybe you just dislike all spiders. But still, some spiders are spectacular. Stunning. Striking. Take the redfemured spotted orbweaver, Neoscona domiciliorum. It's "endemic to the United States, southeast of a line joning...
A redfemured spotted orbweaver, Neoscona domiciliorum, dangles from its web. In the background are Mexican sunflowers, Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Pity the Poor Honey Bees
Pity the poor honey bees. They have to contend with pesticides, parasites, pests, diseases, malnutrition, stress and that mysterious malady called colony collapse disorder in which adult bees abandon the hive, leaving behind the queen, immature bees and food stores. The...
Freeloader flies, from family Milichiidae, crowd the carcass of a honey bee trapped in a web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Acrobatic Spider
Oh, what serious webs they weave. Perfect concentric circles. Perfect for snagging prey. Perfect for capturing a few photographic images. Orb weavers take on the classic shape popularized by Charlotte the spider in E.B. White's children's book, Charlotte's Web. They rid the garden of many flying...
A western spotted orb weaver, Neoscona oaxacensis, finishing its web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Western spotted orb weaver patrolling its web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Note the round or globular abdomen on this western spotted orb weaver. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Where's Charlotte?
A spider web is one of nature's most marvelous wonders. It's art, it's architecture, and it's engineering. The silk is as beautiful as it is deceiving. It's 10 times stronger than Kevlar; as sticky as cotton candy covered with honey; and as flexible as a classical ballet dancer. It's also a...
Backlit by the morning sun, a spider web glows, glistens and glitters. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A spider's dinner, all wrapped and ready to eat: a honey bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
