A section of a spider’s web, photographed in mistbelt forest in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
I was amazed to see the abstract quality of this spider’s web as it shimmered in late afternoon sunlight, and its resemblance to a printed electric circuit board.
Posted by Carol
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September 30, 2018 at 4:23 am
Caught in the right light, webs can be quite impressive.
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October 4, 2018 at 8:16 pm
I think so too 🙂
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September 29, 2018 at 4:40 am
Nice photo. I hadn’t thought about the circuit board likeness before, but that’s a very apt description. I also like the variety and abstract nature of spider webs. Did you see the recent fascinating story about the giant web at a Greek beach? Here’s a link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/20/giant-spiders-web-covers-aitoliko-greek-beach-mating-season. I was going to send the link to an arachnophobic friend, but it seemed too cruel!
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September 29, 2018 at 5:36 am
Thanks for the link – that giant web is beautiful. I would guess that it might also be effective in reducing the increased population of mosquitoes. I am not sure if arachnophobia people are as anxious about web as they are about the spiders themselves. Hopefully though, they let the spiders be.
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October 2, 2018 at 5:26 am
My arachnophobe friend is skittish about all things spidery!
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October 4, 2018 at 8:17 pm
I hope your friend can find ways of overcoming the fear!
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October 5, 2018 at 6:45 am
I’m not holding my breath.
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September 28, 2018 at 11:28 am
Nice.
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September 28, 2018 at 7:38 pm
Thank you.
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September 28, 2018 at 9:34 am
You seem to have captured a portion of what is known as a stabilimentum. This feature of some orb-web weaving spiders usually takes the form of an ‘X’. Its function is still open to scientific debate, with some theories arguing that it is a measure to enhance visibility so that large non-prey items (e.g. birds) do not fly through and destroy the web, whilst others argue that its function may be to attract insects by reflecting UV light.
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September 28, 2018 at 7:36 pm
Thanks Paul. I had not been aware of this feature of spiderwebs before. How interesting that the function is not clearly understood and is still subject to conjecture.
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September 28, 2018 at 4:55 am
As ever, a great photo. I love your very own weekly photo challenge!
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September 28, 2018 at 7:25 pm
Thanks Margaret. I enjoyed the discipline of the former WPC, but it is nice to browse through photos almost randomly and have the freedom to choose whatever strikes me in the moment.
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September 28, 2018 at 4:13 am
What a beautiful photo of a special creation.
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September 28, 2018 at 7:22 pm
Thanks Nikki. Spiderwebs are endlessly fascinating.
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September 28, 2018 at 2:30 am
What a marvelous study, Carol, into something most people find only to be an annoyance sadly…
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September 28, 2018 at 7:17 pm
Thanks so much. And I see large spiderwebs so seldom these days compared to when I was a kid.
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September 27, 2018 at 11:36 pm
Beautiful pattern and there’s no two alike. Nature amazes.
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September 28, 2018 at 7:13 pm
Indeed it does.
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September 27, 2018 at 11:35 pm
Very nice!
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September 28, 2018 at 7:12 pm
Thanks Sandy.
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September 28, 2018 at 7:25 pm
You are welcome.
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