Spider Babies Taking Off
You know the scene from Charlotte's web where the baby spiders take off? Well, I happen to be in the right place at the right time this past Wednesday to witness it for myself. I took some videos and was going to narrate it but I didn't want to drown out the birds singing in the background! So I decided instead I would just explain it here. It had been a cool night and the sun was out and was warming up the ground especially over the dark trail (dark objects absorb more light - do spiders instinctively build their nests over dark surfaces?). So, this meant there was an updraft - but not enough that I could feel it. When I came across this web, at first I thought it was full of a bunch of poppy-seed-sized eggs - but then I noticed that a few of them had hatched. Cool. I put my finger in the frame for scale. Then I gave the stem the web was on a little shake and saw that they ALL had hatched! Only a few were out and active. The rest appeared to be waiting their turn. Turn for what? Well, I also noticed that every once in a while one or two would fly away - some straight up - but of course, spiders can't fly! But then I noticed the very fine threads they were spinning out. (Every now and then the sunlight would glisten off of them and make them visible. You can see this in the video.) I tried to follow the departing spiders with the camera, but as soon as I angled it away from the nest, it auto-focused on the trees in the distance. You can see one or two lift off at the 48 sec point in the video. Anyway. I probably watched them for a good half hour. Unforgettable!