One cool gal. - Page 2

Worth1 · September 19, 2015

This started out as my spider thread.
Today I was pulling the tomato plants and saw this sweetheart in the rosemary her sister is out of the frame.
She is about two inches across.
Isn't she just daring?

Worth
IMG_20150919_37579.jpg

pauldavid · September 19, 2015

Nice pics Worth, i dig spiders and frogs.

jillian · September 19, 2015

super neat, but I got a buzz going on. I normally hate spiders....but that first one looks cute! I have one on a pumpkin leaf.....been there for two days wrapped around a squash/stinkbug looking thing.

ddsack · September 20, 2015

Nice picture, interesting zipper on her net! Wonder why the heavy reinforcement there. Possible larder site for the next victim?

salix · September 21, 2015

That heavier zig zag on her web is called the stabilimentum (?sp). I think it's a warning sign so birds etc. can avoid the web. I have some plastic decals to apply to my windows that look like that and they function to keep birds from trying to fly through.

I just looked it up - apparently it is not known exactly what their function is - some think it is also used to lure insects and also as a defensive measure.

Worth1 · September 21, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by salix

That heavier zig zag on her web is called the stabilimentum (?sp). I think it's a warning sign so birds etc. can avoid the web. I have some plastic decals to apply to my windows that look like that and they function to keep birds from trying to fly through.

I just looked it up - apparently it is not known exactly what their function is - some think it is also used to lure insects and also as a defensive measure.

You are correct and they reflect ultraviolet light.
Another strange thing they do it make the web bounce back and forth if you get close to them sometimes.
I was getting ready to trim the rosemary this fall when these guys showed up.
Now I wont do it and will have to protect the eggs if they have any.
The males are about the size of a match head.

Worth

September 20, 2015	#19
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Nice picture, interesting zipper on her net! Wonder why the heavy reinforcement there. Possible larder site for the next victim? __________________ Dee **************

September 21, 2015	#20
salix Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: north central B.C. Posts: 2,310	That heavier zig zag on her web is called the stabilimentum (?sp). I think it's a warning sign so birds etc. can avoid the web. I have some plastic decals to apply to my windows that look like that and they function to keep birds from trying to fly through. I just looked it up - apparently it is not known exactly what their function is - some think it is also used to lure insects and also as a defensive measure. __________________ "He who has a library and a garden wants for nothing." -Cicero

September 19, 2015	#16
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	This started out as my spider thread. Today I was pulling the tomato plants and saw this sweetheart in the rosemary her sister is out of the frame. She is about two inches across. Isn't she just daring? Worth IMG_20150919_37579.jpg

September 19, 2015	#17
pauldavid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NE Louisiana, Zone 8A Posts: 1,179	Nice pics Worth, i dig spiders and frogs.

September 19, 2015	#18
jillian Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 880	super neat, but I got a buzz going on. I normally hate spiders....but that first one looks cute! I have one on a pumpkin leaf.....been there for two days wrapped around a squash/stinkbug looking thing.