Yes, it was a foggy, misty morning here in San Diego, and the orb web-spinning garden spiders are getting bigger, so I took some photos.
Once again, nature let me down with the dew/mist factor, so I broke out my little spray/mister bottle…
And I annoyed the heck out of the spiders… again…
They were not happy with me.
Not happy at all.
And I am getting better at this.
It is all about the angle.
And, of course, the fake dew.
I sprayed one funnel web, just for old time’s sake.
They don’t always work. It is hard to focus on a thin spider web.
But perseverance… and some extra moisture… really help.
Most of the time.
Don’t worry, I have plenty more of these, to mix in with my weird light photo series. YAY!
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Spider silk is among the strongest of nature’s materials. Yes, the spiders were probably upset you sprayed them and their creations with water. (At least they weren’t Amazonian tarantulas!) But the water should attract more bugs. While I still feel spiders are creepy, I know they play a vital role in the ecological food chain. Plus, their webs are extraordinary works of natural art!
I figure the webs were already a little wet… just not wet enough. Ironically, the gardeners came later that day, and most of the spiders had to rebuild the webs anyway.
No complaints from me, except for spraying the funnel web. You’ve captured a really nice view of an Aranea cavatica, also known as Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web, a book which I think would have been so much better if the spider had lived and the pig turned into bacon.
I would treasure that book.