Contributions of the group The Spider and Her Web

Jumping spider

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 13:13:47 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

Today, while doing some gardening, I found this little spider (about 1cm) on my equipment. I'm fairly sure it's a little jumping spider, but I've had trouble finding the scientific name for it. [UPDATE: I now have satisfied myself it's a jumping spider of the Opisthoncus sp.]. Since viewing the image on the computer, I notice it's missing a front right leg.

What's that outside?

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 12:21:26 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

Taken through the screen door at the rear of our house. More images in the Pips. A little homework told me it is a Net-casting Spider (Deinopis subrufa) and almost certainly a male. They are totally harmless. Earlier, when I first saw it, this spider had its legs aligned in pairs to form an X, which they apparently do when resting.

HFF and best wishes for the weekend, everyone.

I'm afraid I'm still largely offline and likely to be for some time, so please excuse my lack of involvement.

The sky is the limit

nobody@ipernity.com (Ruebenkraut) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:58:50 +0000

Ruebenkraut has posted:

St Andrew's Cross spider

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 01:03:44 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

When I found this spider I took the image in the PiP, not realising until later that it was of the underside. The problem was that the web was close to a wall, so taking this "top view" required stretching to reach behind, then distortions and thank heavens for adjustable viewing screens! :-) The spider sits in the web inverted. These are harmless and native to eastern Australia. Best viewed large.

St Andrew's Cross spider underside

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Sun, 29 Dec 2019 01:03:29 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

I must admit I didn't realise, until viewing this on the computer screen, that I'd taken an image of the underside of this spider and web, as it sloped away from me at the top. These harmless spiders are native to eastern Australia. Best viewed large.

Pictures for Pam, Day 91: Frosty Spider Web on Frosty Fence

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:19:34 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+4 insets!) (view large!) :)

Holy Toledo it's cold out there today, YIKES!! A mere 27.6°F/-2.4°C--that's the coldest it's been all winter! Maybe that's not Polar Vortex Cold, but my fingers and toes have a prominent opinion about it: One Lap is the Limit! Heh…I managed to get up to the top of our hill for a lovely sunrise picture with my phone and down to the front gate to grab our garbage can (pick-up was this morning at 0'dark hundred). There I saw a pool of water that froze in several stages. The appearance reminded me of white malachite and out came my phone for another picture! Then it was up the drive with the garbage can, the handle burning cold through my gloves into my complaining hands and then I flung myself into the house and became one with the heater to warm my hands up. (You can see an inset of the pool of water along with another frozen pool I photographed a while back with a neat formation)

What the heck's the deal with extremely low temperatures?! It's just crazy how fast cold can affect you if the temperature is low enough. This begs the intellectual question: how much more does the temperature affect us when things become extreme? What I mean to say is, there's basically no difference to us when the change is in our comfort range, say 60-70°F/15.5-21°C. Big deal, who cares…we can tell there's a change but it doesn't really matter. But as we get further away from our comfort zone, how much more does this mean? For instance, does the difference between 30 degrees and 29 degrees affect us 1%, 5%, 10%, etc. Do lower numbers make this difference more extreme? Does 10 degrees and 9 degrees affect us 5%, 10%, 20%? I should look this up. I bet there is a difference because 27 degrees is FIERCELY COLD and 30 degrees is not NEARLY as cold to me.

I found a partial answer! It depends a lot on how much fat you have stored on your body and how well-adjusted you are to that temperature. So, someone who has more padding is going to be much more comfortable in the cold than a lean, athletic person. I didn't find the exact answer I was looking for but I did find a very interesting article that talks about what it feels like to be in -50 degrees vs. -20 degrees. My opinion: I would like to NOT be in those temperatures, thank you very much! :D

I was kind of surprised the frogs weren't singing since they seem to enjoy these ridiculously cold temperatures. However, all was quiet down at the pond this morning. In amusement, I pictured froggy popsicles, each with a "ribbit" ready to go but their vocal sacks were frozen so no noise came out. Give them time…it should warm up to 32 degrees down there soon enough and they'll be able to squeak something out! LOL. Tenacious little buddies. :)

Since it's so cold AND because it's the day to post my Happy Fence Friday pictures, I'm sharing an image of a very frosty fence, featuring a gossamer necklace touched by Jack Frost. This I found on our deer fencing a month or so back when we had a lovely day of heavy frost. I'm also sharing another frosty barbed-wire picture from my photo shoot last week. :)

Pam, can you remember the coldest weather you've walked around in? One year it got down to 8 degrees I think, and venturing outside was a very shocking experience. We wanted to know what it felt like…and then we didn't! Out…and yep, that's REALLY COLD…and inside again! :D What about you? For me, it's a struggle because I know the photography opportunities are amazing the colder it gets but there really is a potential danger of frostbite. I hope you've never been in a situation where frostbite was a real issue for you. I've been lucky in that regard but I've also never been stuck in a place that's too cold and I can't get out of it. Sending a nice, warm *HUGGGGGG* your way on this very cold day! :D

Explored on 2/8/19, highest placement, #1.

Golden Orb Spider

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 12:14:18 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

Today I was out with my local Landcare group, removing weeds in the nature reserve, when I almost walked face first into this spider, hanging in a substantial web. It is a female Golden Orb spider - the male is quite tiny in comparison.

Explored.

Pictures for Pam, Day 80: Nature's Jewelry

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 00:04:04 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(+1 inset!) (please view large to see the dew drops!)

It was another very foggy, chilly day and even though I was bundled up, my feet and hands still got very cold during my walk. It was lovely though and I enjoyed seeing the grass twinkling with dew drops as I made my way up and down our driveway.

On my last lap I noticed something sparkling on the road and thought it seemed too light to be a leaf. Bending closer I could see that it was a feather that was completely covered in dew drops! Amazing! I hadn't planned on taking any pictures outside today because I'd be working on my Macro Monday images but I simply HAD to get pictures of this feather!

I soon returned with my camera and got lots of shots from many angles--I managed to get some very nice ones which I'll be sharing soon!

Since I was outside I couldn't resist the temptation to wander off the road a bit. I had something in mind…spider webs. Yesterday I'd taken some pictures of dewdrops on a strand of spiderweb and I wasn't really satisfied with the outcome. I'd brought my macro flash but discovered the batteries were dead and the slight breeze ruined most of the pictures I took. Still feeling a bit disappointed, I wanted to find some more webs now that I'd replaced the batteries in my macro flash.

Instantly I found plenty of strands to photograph, so tiny and fine that I would have had a hard time seeing them without the dew to make them stand out. At one point I looked up and OH!! A whole web was sparkling back at me, how exciting! I think dew-covered webs are some of the most beautiful things in nature and this one had such a lovely shape.

Once I got back inside I copied my pictures over to my computer but I noticed a problem with the use of my flash. The reflection of light in the droplets worked fine in the pictures I'm sharing today but It was much too harsh in my other photos. I need to put diffusers on the flashes to soften the reflections. It's too bad because there were lots of pretty strands of "water pearls" but the pictures need to be retaken. Live and learn, right?

For today's main image I decided to use the cropped version because the dew is larger and prettier. I have also included an inset of the whole web so you can see how cool it is. :)

Pam, I did a search on your stream for "web" and found a delightful picture and story about Esmerelda that you shared back in 2014. It was wonderful to read again. I also enjoyed our back and forth commentary about your picture and story. I think you would have loved the spider webs I photographed today because they were almost invisible and not scary at all! :) Still, like I'd said then, I do not like spiders crawling on me, and feeling spider webs clinging to me gives me the heeby-jeebies! If they are strong webs and I walk through them and they are all over me…you'll hear me screaming from Oregon and soon you'll see me running past in a blur! :D Here's hoping that your day was as good as can be. :)

Explored on 1/28/19, highest placement, #1.

web 2.0

nobody@ipernity.com (Ruebenkraut) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:58:09 +0000

Ruebenkraut has posted:

Hinweis/Hint:
www.ipernity.com/doc/198925/10791625

web 5.0

nobody@ipernity.com (Ruebenkraut) — Sat, 11 Nov 2017 11:43:20 +0000

Ruebenkraut has posted:

Hanging around

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 13:10:26 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

This little "Daddy-long-legs" spider decided to drop in on me. The tricky part with this shot was that, every time I moved, it created enough draft to make it sway out of focus. :-)

279/366: This is My [Spider] Butt.

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 02:21:19 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

...There are many butts like it, but this one is mine. :D

A few years ago I found a jumping spider on our front porch, and had a lot of fun taking pictures from all angles. I liked these rear angles because you can clearly see the spinnerets.

276/366: Adorable Baby Crab Spider

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 03:55:22 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Once I got over my fear of spiders, I began to appreciate them and even to think they are adorable and totally cute. Finding this itty bitty baby crab spider trying to be invisible on a stem of dried grass brought out a chorus of coos from me. I was especially happy because the sun was at just the right angle to make its translucent body glow. Finally, I added a texture to the background to give it a bit more interest.

253/366: Roscoe's Children Coming Out of Egg Sac

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 03:06:08 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

One day in September of 2012, I found a baby orb weaver spider on my front porch. Over the next year, I watched this baby get her first meal, survive a freezing winter, grow to adulthood, find a mate, make an egg sac, and finally, I saw her crawl slowly away under a bush to die. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with this beautiful Cat-Faced Orb-Weaver, and I cried my eyes out when she died. Maybe just a spider to most, she was my little friend, and I missed her terribly in the months that followed. In fact, revisiting her pictures now pulls hard on my heart strings. I feel like I should be embarrassed that I feel sad as I look at all the pictures I took. How can a person become attached to a spider? I did though, and I feel pretty darn lucky that I got to know a spider well enough to cry over its death.

This is a picture of Roscoe's children, hatching out of the egg sac she made and protected until she was too weak to do so. Seeing all of these kids brings a tear to my eye. I wished that some of them would have stayed around, but they all left after a few days. What a great experience it was to know my friend Roscoe. :)

If you'd like to see Rocoe's story in pictures and tales, please visit her album here My Friend Roscoe

121/366: Mini Crab Spider on Rose Petal

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Tue, 03 May 2016 03:51:41 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

I know I posted a spider picture the other day, but I saw this one in my archives today and I can't resist! Would you just take a look at this adorable baby? He's doing his best to be YELLOW and I pretended not to see him while I took a picture of his cute little face! :) I am in love!! :)

I found this cutie pie on a rose when I visited the Harry & David garden in Medford in 2014. Steve and I went for another outing a couple of Saturdays ago and we will be back soon. What a show!! :)

116/366: Jumping Spider with a Molly Hair

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 03:25:30 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

Last Saturday, Steve and I went to the Harry & David public garden with my workmate, Andy Spliethof, and his daughter. While we were there, they managed to get some super pictures of jumping spiders, and when I saw this image in my archives, I just had to share it! To show just how small this adorable spider is, that's a dog hair from our Border Collie next to it!

34/366: Baby Crab Spider on Candytuft (+3 in notes)

nobody@ipernity.com (Janet Brien) — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 02:08:08 +0000

Janet Brien has posted:

(3picture above in a note)

Oh, how I love crab spiders. I think they are so funny the way they look as they lay in wait for their meal to come within grasp. They all appear to be telling the same story to anyone who cares to listen, "I once caught a fly THIIIIIIIIIIS BIG!!" :D Too funny!!

One of the cool features of crab spiders is their ability to change colors to match the flower they are hunting on. It takes them several days to closely approximate the color--in this case, I expect this spider came from some yellow flower and if it stays here, will change to a very light beige. I found this youngster hanging out on the edge of a Candytuft blossom in my friend's garden when I visited a couple of years ago.

Una ragnatela imperlinata di rugiada

nobody@ipernity.com (Andrea Franchi Photography) — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 23:36:34 +0000

Andrea Franchi Photography has posted:

A spider web covered with fresh dew drops

(184823)

Mouse Spider

nobody@ipernity.com (tiabunna) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 12:50:30 +0000

tiabunna has posted:

This male Red-headed Mouse Spider (the colour indicates the sex) was wandering around at Lake Mungo: the female is entirely black. One of Australia's eight species of mouse spiders, these are found in the arid areas and, although there are few reported cases of bites, they are thought to be quite venomous. What excited me, on doing some research, was to find that they are part of our Gondwanan fauna, with their nearest overseas relatives in South America.

Networking

nobody@ipernity.com (FMW51) — Mon, 19 May 2014 20:06:28 +0000

FMW51 has posted:

… or just fixed in the web’s structure