Huge spider webs

Don M.

Don M.

SF VIP
Location
central Missouri
Here's a picture of a huge spider web that appears in the forests in this part of the country. I've seen a couple of these in our forest, and they are really quite beautiful, so long as you don't walk into one. The spider that weaves them, the Orb Weaver spider, is rather large, but not poisonous to humans. Whenever I venture into the woods, I carry a stick, if walking, or keep the tractor bucket raised a bit to brush away the webs before I get one all over me.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/human-sized-spider-found-missouri-193909212.html
 
I've noticed large webs on some of the shrubs this year. You don't really see them until we have a heavy dew that makes them stand out.

Spider webs remind me of my stepfather. He was a carpenter and outdoorsman that swore by using spider webs as a handy way to stop a minor cut or abrasion from bleeding. You just put the injured area up against the spider web and it created a sort of gauze bandage that stopped the bleeding.
 
Orb weavers are common in my part of the world. Sometimes they build in inconvenient locations such as my clothes line but they are harmless and they consume the web before daylight. The spider can be found nearby if you know what to look for. They are well camouflaged and tuck their legs in to fool any bird wanting to eat them.

I like them but haven't had one in my yard for several years now.

 
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We had an orb weaver living in a potted hibiscus on the deck a few summers ago. It was fascinating. Every now and then Dave would catch a grasshopper and toss it into the web, then watch as the spider trussed it up. Creepy, but interesting. In the fall, it just went away, leaving behind an egg sac.
 
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