The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

Day: September 16, 2012

  • Orb-Weaving Spiders

    August was the month for giant orb weaving spiders; a pair of thumb-sized monsters took up residence under the gutter over the patio. One started by anchoring its web to the handrail by the steps:

    Web anchor on handrail
    Web anchor on handrail

    While we like and encourage spiders, that anchorage didn’t last long and, yes, I must strip and repaint that railing…

    There’s a horizontal web at the corner of the gutter over the back door:

    Orb spider at gutter - light
    Orb spider at gutter – light

    Changing the exposure to favor the spider loses the web strands:

    Orb spider at gutter - dark
    Orb spider at gutter – dark

    Cropping that one down around the spider shows they really are the stuff of nightmare:

    Orb spider - detail
    Orb spider – detail

    The other spider prefers a vertical web attached along the gutter and anchored to a patio chair, which means I can get between the house and the web to see the spider’s tummy:

    Orb spider - ventral
    Orb spider – ventral

    We leave the lights on in the evening for their benefit…