I don’t know which of at least 29 species of spiders in Ontario have spun these webs, but they have been very busy lately. I was out in the kayak in the morning when the fog was lifting and saw these webs.
These “orb webs” are what we usually associate with spiders, although there are other types such as funnel and sheet webs. The orb webs are fascinating with its spirals. The spider begins with a rectangle and begins laying down rays of silk, which can resemble a bicycle wheel hub. Beautiful work!
How Spiders Work is an excellent website where you can see a slideshow with diagrams of how the spider sets up its web.
Spiders use these webs to catch their prey. The spider usually sits near the centre (the hub) where they can feel when an insect lands on the web. Often they will make a new web each night. They make these webs without any previous instruction from their parents … God has made them this way.
Update: I went out a few days later – there were no webs on the trees, but there were ones down at the water’s edge. Nice to see the reflections.
