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Raindrops on Spiderwebs

6/7/2016

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Raindrops on Spiderweb
Raindrops on spiderwebs on the lawn,
If you live in a rural area, you've probably seen these raindrop-covered webs on your lawn in the summer. In fact, when the weather is warm, you don't even need rain, as dewdrops cling to the silky webs.  The photo above was taken after a rainstorm and gives a close-up view of what the raindrops look like to the spider. 
Picture
The spiderwebs you see on the lawn probably look a lot like the picture above. That's what it looked like on my lawn before I got down to get a few close-up shots.

Do those webs have spiders?

Spider in Web Tunnel with raindrops
This spider is hanging out at the opening to the tunnel in his web.
If you are anything like me, you just might have grown up thinking the webs magically appeared in the night, but there weren't any real spiders in them. That's what my mother told me and I believed her. I'm not sure if she believed that or if it was her way of preventing me from worrying about spiders in the grass.

Earlier this year, I read that grass spiders make these little webs. The web is lacy and has a funnel where the itsy-bitsy spider hides out until his prey comes along. You can see the spider above inside the mouth of the tunnel. But, that is no ordinary grass spider.

I had a little difficulty researching it, but finally came to the conclusion that it is probably a variety of the Hacklemesh Weaver (Amaurobius ferox). Although I can't find an image that matches the one above, the description of the web fits and the description of the spider is very similar. If you know of another classification that fits this little spider, please let me know.


How big are those spiders?

raindrops on spiderweb with grass blades
These are ordinary blades of grass from the lawn.
He looks huge in the picture, but bear in mind that several of the tiny raindrops can fit on a blade of grass. To put the size of the spider into perspective, take a look at the blades of grass in this photo. They are ordinary blades of grass found on the lawn (not the large blades found along the road or in unmowed areas). The spider was barely noticeably to the naked eye.

I hope you enjoyed the photos and info about these little spiders and the webs they make. Don't forget to share my blog with your friends!


                                                                Until Next Time . . . HAPPY GARDENING!
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    For more nature photography, check out my photography site.
Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



Photo used under Creative Commons from MyArtfulLife
  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables