Going For Bigger And Better!

   I am not sure just why but I find spiderwebs and fog a perfect combination.  The droplet-laden webs remind me of the perfect compilation of Mother Nature's art.  Since we are in that weather pattern known as Somewhat Winter in the Deep South, fog occurs often.  If I notice that it is a foggy morn, a hike must begin immediately after the first mug of coffee.  It is mandatory!  Regardless of what has been planned, a quick jaunt around the place searching for webs is a must.

  Mostly, I search for the large webs that span between tree limbs,  These carry the droplets in a draping pattern much like a beaded necklace.  Occasionally, however, I will drop to my knees to photograph the ground spiders that make funnel webs in the grass.  The spiders are quick and often dart into their funnels before a picture is taken.  I often wonder how often their webs are destroyed by clumsy oafs such as myself.  Sometimes, the hillside is pure white with the dew-laden or fog-laden webs.  

  Then there are the webs that are beyond understanding.  These are the ones that have no rhyme or reason as to where they are placed.  I understand that the webs are the spider's sole means of catching prey but you just have to wonder why?  Why? Why is the web here?  This cannot be the most efficient method of bug-catching.

  Down the hillside a small oak tree had popped up since the last time I mowed the grass.  It stood about a foot high in a wide open space.  A spider had decided that this "treetop" was the ideal spot for a web.  The spider covered the entire top of the sapling with webbing.  The spider was a tiny one so perhaps this was a first attempt at its own web design.  Then, again, maybe the little one knew what it was doing and covered the top in hopes of snaring anything that climbed the sapling.  Whatever, the spider had its beginning.   I have to admit that the web caught my eye and captured my attention so much that I returned to it several times.  The unusualness of the location drew me like a magnet so maybe that spider was pretty smart.  If bugs are as curious as I am, then the spider will soon move on to bigger and better things!