Beauty and Strength

Have you ever wondered about the strength of a spider's web? Probably not..unless you are someone like me that ponders about the things that I see while out and about the Bayou area. Something occurred that made me start thinking that those spiders are the most knowledgeable of all builders. If mankind could only capture their ability, our homes and businesses would be much safer. There was some sort of "earth-shaking" here yesterday. The windows rattled, the floor shook and the glassware in the china cabinet all tinkled against one another. I have no idea what caused the rumbling and grumbling but whatever it was, it really shook the Little Bayou House. That shaking and something I saw while on the pier, caused me to wish I was as smart as those spiders! Sure, their webs shake with the slightest of breeze but it is really rather hard to demolish one. In proportion to the size of the webbing, the amount of stress that they can withstand is amazing. Perhaps if we built houses out of spider's webs there would be less damage during hurricanes, earthquakes and such. I will be the first to admit that I do not like spiders in my house but if one decided to make it stronger, it would have my ok!

Those teeny, tiny strands can literally hold up a good bit..they have to..just think if a large bug got entangled. If the webbing was weak, the meal would go free. Kevlar (that stuff that is used for body armor because of its high tensile strength to weight ratio) is said to be five times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis. That in itself sounds pretty good but when you find out that a spider can make silk that is ten times tougher that Kevlar, you have to think that the spider should win the prize! Can you imagine...ten times tougher than Kevlar??? Of course, that spider is not on the Bayou, it is over there in Madagascar but I am still amazed at my little local spiders. Several months ago, I posted a picture of a web that was laden with droplets from the thick blanket of fog that engulfed the Bayou. I was in awe of the strength of that web.

But now..a new web. While not as lovely in appearance as the fog-laden web necklace, this was just as impressive. The sheer strength and durability of this web is what caught my eye and started all of this rambling. The spider had obviously spun the web during low tide as it spanned the distance between two of the pier posts. The only problem..the poor spider had not accounted for the tide change. When the tide rose, the spider web was underwater, however, it stayed intact! Not even the waves had torn the intricate pattern! The actual webbing was about three feet in diameter with several feet of stringers attaching it to the posts. I am not sure why it chose to make its web over the water but the tide definitely put a dent in the spider's plans. Unless maybe this spider was trying to catch a fish!