A look between the webbing

For this assignment I've started spending time observing my backyard, because I hardly ever go out there. I'm quite paranoid there's a spider colony living under my deck, which I find terrifying. I hate spiders. It's a phobia really, seeing one is like an unnatural shock to my system that usually results in small bursts of screams and shuttering. That being said, I'm going to talk about spiders all over this blog.

Now I know this sounds scary already (at least I would think it does), but it's not, it's fascinating. It all started while I was watching a tree in my backyard and tried to sample some early fallen, bright red, leaves to press in my journal. I remember thinking it was like the tree was bleeding, in slow red drips on the wind. However, my attempt to pick one up was met with ample success, three leaves all came together, glued together with webbing. There are spiders in my tree. I've found two webs, but no actual arachnids (thank goodness).

Now as I've been observing just theses last two weeks, one of these webs is already broken. Which has got me thinking, what kind of stupid spider is going to build a web, easily able to be broken by a good wind and in full sight of birds, one of their biggest natural predators? That makes no sense. Maybe that's why they're already gone. I wonder how often spiders build webs and move.

At this point I stopped fearing so much and entered the fascination stage. This when I made a brilliant discovery.

This is a black widow. In my own backyard.

I've named her Shelob and she's beautiful and terrifying. Its fantastic, and she even has neighbors!

 

This is a nearby and much longer spider who at least looks more amicable. My first though of him was that we was sleeping, but with more research I found that spiders don't sleep, they have circadian rhythms of rest and activity and can hibernate but when they rest they're able to be immediately animate if something disturbs their web. This one is most likely dead though because they don't tend to lay on their backs like that. (pawnation.com) Spiders also have the ability to tuck their legs into themselves, slow down their metabolisms and hibernate for the winter without food out of harms way and wake naturally once it gets warm again.

 

Maybe as fall rapidly approaches I'll be seeing them less and less. Although this is sad for scientific purposes, the fall setting in is really lovely. Esspecially in the morning as I say in my observations, The grey morning light  paints the world a dead color. (Sept 26, 7 am) This waking world is starting to get sleepy and slip into a cold repose. I can't wait to see what it brings.