Well, it’s the end of 2010, and since my garden is in a rather dreary state of dormancy, and the dogs are doing their annual running amok in the cooler temperatures and wreaking havoc on the entire backyard, I thought I’d end the year with some fun with my new close-up filters and a spider species new to my yard. The close-up filters are an inexpensive way to get a bit of a macro effect without breaking the bank on a new lens.
I found this little lady on a web outside my bedroom window.
I believe she is a Neoscona crucifera, also known as a Hentz Orbweaver. They seem to be fairly common in central Texas — a lot of the online photos I found came from this region. I can’t help but stare at her hairiness. She might not win the hairiest spider award, but she’s right up there in my book.
It was utterly fascinating watching her go after one of my pest bugs. How on earth did that bug just happen to end up in the web while I stood nearby with my camera? Remarkable timing, right? I know!
So here’s what I observed. First, Mrs. Spider ran over fast and paralyzed the bug — she was so fast I didn’t witness the bite, but in a fraction of a second, the bug went from squirming to still.
Then Mrs. Spider made a hole in her web. I’m not sure the purpose of this — did she use the web strands on her prey? Did she remove them in preparation for easy spinning of the bug? If I were to guess, she moved the sticky threads out of her way. Notice that while she was doing this, her spinnerets began producing more silk.
And then the spider simultaneously began maneuvering the paralyzed bug and wrapping it in a widened sheath of silk.
I watched in astonishment as the spider expertly swayed her abdomen side to side to thoroughly guide the silk over all parts of the bug. A true weaver at work! Look closely:
During the process, the spider paused and extended her fang into the body. I assume that at this point she is injecting the prey with digestive enzymes to liquify the bug’s insides. Perhaps she was already feasting. Anyone want to ask her?
Then she went back to wrapping up the bug some more.
Once the spider was content with her packaging job, she slid the wrapped bug over to a new spot and secured it. The move was amazingly smooth.
I was curious whether the spider would be interested in a second bug or just ignore it. She was interested, that’s for sure! She zoomed across the web to start the process anew.
Here’s a sequence of shots from her second kill — she was kind enough to give me the view from the front this time.
It was really challenging to get shots that were in focus — between the spider’s busy movements and the wind, the web bounced quite a bit. I think this is a downside to the close-up filters — they don’t seem to handle movement well. Still, they are fun to play with!
I assume that this spider will lay her eggs soon — juveniles tend to be nocturnal, and this adult was quite central on her web during the day, mostly likely getting additional nutrients for that final project. I’ll have to keep a lookout for babies!
Happy New Year, everyone! I’m so glad for all my gardening, wildlife, and blog friends. 2010 has been such a great year — I can’t wait to see what 2011 will bring. Apparently it will at least bring spider babies!
Wow, amazing photos, especially in light of the challenging conditions! Kind of creepy, kind of cool, but certainly nature at its finest. Have enjoyed reading your blog since I started blogging this past fall and look forward to the new year of blogging. Happy New Year!!
Look at those spiny legs and beady little eyes. Looks so fierce closeup.LOL! Happy New Year to you!
It is that frustrating thing of learning that the camera focuses in one plane. I don’t think about how the human eye is focusing on all the different moving parts, till I fight with my camera. Wonderful pictures!!
These are fantastic photos! I’ve never seen the silk coming out of a spider like that before.
Merideth, that was really creepy but at the same time very fascinating. You have an incredible camera that can zoom up and take fascinating pictures. I thought that was pretty awesome. It was really cool to see the spider do its thing step by step. A couple of years ago a black widow fell on my husband’s head outdoors at his work. He scooped it up and brought it home. He wanted to watch nature at work. He bought a spider cage and crickets, set up a neat habitat for it. It was fascinating to watch this widow as a family. The last straw was when it laid eggs, then it had to go. I wasn’t going to chance the little babies scampering out of the air holes. We took it to a nearby field and let it go–babies and all. So your post reminded me of our biology experiment. BTW, I changed the domain name on my blog, so I can now be found at http://www.MyLiveLaughBlog.com. I hope to see you around!
You did get amazing shots and I was wondering how, and then you mentioned the spider and web moving. You must have been very, very patient.
Super photos! I like your sequencing too. I especially like the second photo-macro where you can see all the pointy hairy things on its legs. Happy New Year and another great year blogging!
Hi, Just dropping here. Great post. The photos so fantastic. Looking foward for your next post. Happy new year!
Wow! what incredible photos! While I was reading your post, my 5 year old son came behind me to see what I was looking at. He was fascinated! I had to go back to the beginning and go through the sequence multiple times with him. How lucky you were to capture this with your camera!