Spider Designs

 

Spent some time recently with a long-handled brush trying to reach all the little crevasses containing cobwebs, and got to thinking ..…. spider. Not a life-form that inspires admiration and affection, in fact, generally speaking, it gets pretty poor press. It is not known for the beauty of its design as are the butterfly and dragon fly.                                                 

At our mother’s knee we learn how poor little snowflake Miss Muffet was frightened away by the spider who innocently came to sit down beside her. Recently when we celebrated Hallowe’en, the spider is ubiquitous, associated, as it is, with being an evil companion of the witch, along with black cats, bats and owls. Haunted houses and graveyards can often be represented in horror films as festooned with cobwebs to give them an additional, creepy atmosphere.

 Believe it or not, we have evidence from web encapsulated in amber, that spiders were around 100 million years ago. They feature in superstitions: being seen as a harbinger of misfortune or rain, but also good fortune and money.  Generally speaking, the spider is regarded as a mystical creature because of its weaving skills and in folklore is depicted as storyteller, oracle of fate, wealth – and sometimes, death!

 It’s interesting to see how they were perceived in different cultures. Ancient Egyptians worshipped the spider as the Goddess Neith, the spinner and weaver of destiny. The Sumerians worshipped Uttu, their Spider Goddess of weaving. It is clear to see that man may well have developed weaving abilities thanks to observing spider skills. They were certainly seen in a positive perspective.

  There are even tales of spider as saviour!   While the prophet Mohamed, travelling with his companion, Abu Bakr, was pursued by soldiers, he sought refuge in a cave. Similarly, David, being chased by King Saul, hid in a nearby cave. In each case, a spider helpfully spun a web at the entrance of the cave, thus causing the pursuers to believe that there had been no recent entry there so they departed, leaving their prey safe.

Certainly, spiders are known to inject venom to kill insects to feed on. You can see the poison gland marked in the diagram below.  But more than anything else, she   – for it is mainly female spiders who spin – is renowned for her silk production This is produced by silk glands seen at the back of her body.                              

                                           

Spiders weave different types of web and, in fact, are often classified according to the web design they produce.

Spiral orb web – perhaps the one most commonly seen. To create this, the spider produces a sticky thread and lets it drift in the breeze from one object- say a branch - to the other. When the silk sticks on the second branch, the spider draws in the line to tighten it, then walks along it, strengthening it with a second strand.  This is repeated to form 3  Y-shaped outer radials, then the rest is filled in.

                                  

      Sheet webs            

As the name suggests, these are large time-consuming structures to create, covering, as they do, a large area with thick silk. As an insect trap this blanket of sticky substance must be most effective!

                                                                

                                            
 

Funnel webs

This is a highly stylized conical shape which, for the prey, must offer an entry into the trap from which there is no return.

                                              

Tangled web

This web is a messier affair, here forming a wall between two branches. They are probably faster to produce but just as effective as traps. 

                                           

They have even inspired writers. Here in his poem, Marmion, Sir Walter Scott advises:

 Oh! what a tangled web we weave

When first we practise to deceive.

We still have much to learn from the spider!

We still have much to learn from the spider!