Tuesday 22 June 2010

ABC Wednesday W for Web





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Click to enlarge, please! These photos are taken in my garden.

From Wikipedia:"Spiders initially started producing silk for reasons other than web-making. When spiders moved from the water to the land in the Early Devonian period(416 to 359.2 million years ago) , they started making silk to protect their bodies and their eggs. Spiders gradually started using silk for hunting purposes, first as guide lines and signal lines, then as ground or bush webs, and eventually as the aerial webs which are so famous today.

Spiders produce silken thread using several paired spinneret glands located at the tip of their abdomen. Each gland produces a thread for a special purpose – for example a trailed safety line, sticky silk for trapping prey or fine silk for wrapping it. Spiders use different gland types to produce different silks, and some spiders are capable of producing up to 8 different silks during their lifetime.

Most spiders have three pairs of spinnerets, each having its own function – there are also spiders with just one pair and others with as many as four pairs.

Webs allow a spider to catch prey without having to expend energy by running it down. Thus it is an efficient method of gathering food. However, constructing the web is in itself an energetically costly process due to the large amount of protein required, in the form of silk. In addition, after a time the silk will lose its stickiness and thus become inefficient at capturing prey. It is not uncommon for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. The silk proteins are thus recycled."


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with W.



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I wished I had taken these two beautiful photos myself!!! They are from Wikipedia.

30 comments:

Arija said...

Spider webs like rainbows have an etherial quality making us think of fairies and childhood wonders. Beautifully captured Wil.

Sylvia K said...

What a great W word for the day and the pics are terrific even if they did come from Wikipedia! It's saved my day several times!! The webs are beautiful, so fragile looking and, of course, I always enjoy the information because I always learn something I didn't know! Have a wonderful week, Wil!

Sylvia

Rune Eide said...

Web on the Web was a great choice - especially since it was not about WWW but about something far older and much more intriguing.

PS I wish I could have taken these photos, too :-)

Roger Owen Green said...

I always feel gulity when I have to destroy a web; such artistry.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

anthonynorth said...

I love those pictures. Excellent post.

Carolyn Ford said...

I would be so great to capture a spider's web...I have tried and it is NOT easy! Good 'ole Wikipedia!

Miss_Yves said...

Les photos de Wikipedia sont étonnantes, mais les vôtres ne sont pas mal du tout!

MaR said...

Spider webs are fascinating pieces of hard work!! love your shots and the information.
Happy week ahead!

ABC-Wednesday:W

Leslie: said...

What a great series of photos! I'm always fascinated and captivated by spider webs glistening in the early morning sun. Just lovely!

Dani said...

these are WOW webs!!! recently Ive been trying to captured a web, but.. I guess i need a better camera. ;)

Happy Wednesday!

Carol said...

Beautiful webs, Wil, and an interesting W post. I didn't know spiders ate their webs.

Jeannette StG said...

But are the bigger pics on top yours, Wil? That is a really big spiderweb!
Bytheway, sorry I'm not able to open up the things you sent to my email:)

photowannabe said...

Spiders are amazing architects. Great shots and I would love to see some of those that you got from Wikipedia.

George said...

Thanks for all the fascinating information about spiders and their webs. The pictures are just wonderful. This is a wonderful 'W' post.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the many memories, of walking to schol in the morning, passing by countless webs which mostly ended in me face ;)
Please have a nice Wednesday.

daily athens

Stan Ski said...

Wonderful Webs!

Changnoi said...

All that's missing is Spiderman.

Tumblewords: said...

Interesting and surely the photos are exquisite - so magical the webs.

Gayle said...

I was so absorbed in reading your post - fascinating!

Hildred said...

Spiders' webs are absolutely amazing, - what a creative and beautiful way to catch your dinner!

lv2scpbk said...

I don't really like spiders but love looking at their webs, so fastinating.

On behalf of the ABC Wed. team, thanks for participating.

jay said...

That bottom picture is rather weird!!

Fascinating bit of natural history about spiders and the evolution of silk spinning! Thanks for that. :)

Vicki Lane said...

Wonderful pictures, Wil! And I love the header!

Carol said...

Lovely garden - very industrious spider! I didn't know the spinning of webs utilized protein. Thank you for weaving me into your web.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Ah!!! The windmill, that was what I was taught about Holland when I was studying in school in Sarawak.

Your webs are incredible. I tried to find webs, but have not been very good.

Nydia said...

I have to say that, although knowing how beautiful and artistic a web is, I suffer from arachnophobia, so I had to pass the photos! :oP I can't stand the sight of a spider not even in Harry Potter film, lol!

But you gave precious info about it - and I love trivias - that I haven't known before. :o)

Kisses from Nydia.

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Ewe!! Hard for me to look at! I thought this was going to be about the internet web! Ha,ha! Great web shots, though even if I have a bit of a fear of spiders.

Barbara Martin said...

The different spider webs remind me a bit of snowflakes: each being completely different than the next. Lovely photos, Wil.

Costea Andrea Mihai said...

hello!! great captures! regards

Dina said...

This is fascinating. And your own pictures are beautiful.


Thanks for your Linky help, Wil.