Miniscule Work of Art!

   I am one that wanders aimlessly about the property purely engrossed in the miracles that surround me. The early morning hikes that start before dawn on the pier then wind around behind the greenhouse and canebrake are always full of surprises.  At this age, I should be amazed simply by the fact that there are still things that can surprise me but, come to find out, Mother Nature always has something new up her sleeve.  It is grand.

  This morning's pier time found me mesmerized by the workings of a tiny creature.  The critter in question was a wee spider that had spun her web on a pier post.  A single, bent nail provided support for her upper strand and the web stretched from there to the post.  The web was perfect!  Added to that perfection were the jewel-like droplets from the light sprinkling of rain over the Bayou last night.  Teeny, tiny spider did not catch much for her breakfast but her web was surely an extravagant thing of beauty!

  The strength of the web, even from a spider this tiny, was astounding.  In proportion, the weight of the water droplets had to be extraordinary but most of the web was intact.  The few broken strands were most likely caused by the rough wind or from a large insect before the misting rain occurred.  Since webs are spun purely as a means of catching food, I often wonder if a spider ever sits back and admires her work of art.  If not...she should.  Humans only wish we could do half as good.  I am now going to make an effort to check on Teeny Spider with each trip to the pier.  She deserves the admiration.

The Disappearing Act!

  Overnight, we had a heavy fog lay in across the Bayou.  It so thick that at one point I began to think it was raindrops on the roof but it was merely the fog accumulation dripping from the tree limbs.  This morning, the fog lingered as I strolled about the place.  The walk to the pier was pointless as nary a thing could be seen other than "white" so I headed around to the back behind the canebrake. Since I could see no further than about twenty feet ahead of me, I figured that perhaps some critter would still be out and about.  No critters were found other than spiders.  The ground behind the canebrake was littered with webs ranging from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter.  These were webs of the local "funnel-web" spiders.

  Each web found had a distinct funnel-like tube in one corner.  This funnel housed a small spider that was waiting patiently for some bug to either alight on the web or crawl across the surface.  The spider then darts out to see what is causing a ruckus on its web.  If the commotion was due to a suitable prey, the spider bites it and waits a few moments before dragging its breakfast down the tunnel.  It does not devour its prey in the open as that would alert other potential victims to the use of the web.  

  These spiders belong to the family Agelenidae and are venom specific which means they are pretty much harmless to big, ole humans.  They are relatively shy spiders that scurry away rather than stand their ground if something is deemed a danger.  In fact, it is often very difficult to see one as even a shadow will scare them into hiding.  I was fortunate this morning as one particular spider did not think I was a menace.  Most of the webs seemed empty as the spider was far down in its funnel.  One, however, sat happily at the entrance and allowed me to photograph it from just inches away!  

  Our funnel-web spiders are not to be confused with those in other countries that can be highly venomous.  Even if you could catch one of ours and it did bite you, it would not be too bad.  Our spiders are "lightning-fast" so catching one would be a feat!  In just a blink of an eye, that "oh, so bad" spider will dart under the first thing available to hide!  Personally, I rather like them.  They make interesting webs, especially when covered with an early morning fog.  They are also great about catching would be pests.  Carry on, Little Spiders!  You have no reason to fear me!  I am so happy you let me photograph you!

Where did the world go?

   About 3pm, I took the old dog out for a hike.  Not that he hikes any more.  Rather, he meanders to the first place he deems comfortable and then sits. There he stays for the duration.  I walk around him keeping within 10 to 15 feet so he won't panic about the distance. My hiking world had disappeared, so it seemed.

  While out this afternoon, a heavy fog was rolling in off the  Bay.  We were in a slightly sheltered area beneath an old oak tree but the world around us was slowly being devoured by the "mist monster".  It did not take long before much of the scenery was completely blocked from view.  It is times like this that the imagination can run wild with tales of happenings on the Bayou.  You can get that eerie feeling that something or someone is watching your every step.  Things can get pretty creepy if you let that imagination slip too far into the mysterious, dark channels of the mind.

  On a brighter note, all of this fog made for some pretty exquisite spiderwebs.  The fog causes water droplets to linger on the wispy threads of silk.  It always amazes me how strong each strand of webbing is.  The droplets hang like jewels of a necklace and even the tiniest bit of light makes them sparkle.  These jewels can compare with the brightest diamonds found.

  So, there you have it, folks. My world did not disappear.  It only became fog laden.  Life is all in how you look at things and we need to all learn to make the best of whatever is thrown at us. When we focus on problems, they multiply but when we focus on possibilities, new opportunities come into play.  My limited hike still managed to provide a bit of interest.  

Web Roofs!

  Hiking after a night of rain makes for interesting finds.  The pine needle covered ground is saturated and that muffles the footsteps, the leaves on trees drip with jewels of raindrops and spiderwebs become diamond-encrusted lace.  It is those spiderwebs that tend to draw the eye toward them out of curiosity.  Where is that spider??  Most spiders on the Bayou are friendly enough that they do not cause worry but it is still wise to be careful of their whereabouts.  There is no need to have one climbing up the pants leg or going down the back of the shirt!

  While out on a hike to the back of the property, Mark and I found numerous ground webs.  These spiderwebs are spun on the ground and have a hole in the middle through which the spider can pounce on its prey.  The web is strung between sticks, blades of grass or fallen leaves.  They are thick heavy webs unlike those delicately spun hung webs.  While the spider is usually unseen, if you look carefully, it can be spied lurking near the center hole.  Once prey ventures onto the web, the vibrations alert the spider and it can come scurrying out to catch the critter.  Also, the web provides protection for the spider.  It is sort of a roof over its head!  Not only does it shield the spider from raindrops, it gives the spider a sporting chance of escape if it is attacked.

  The ground was covered with such webs after the rain. Each held up well under the torrential downpour and each spider was happily snug. 

Bedazzling the Bayou!

  Mother Nature throws a lot of neat things at us if we only take a few moments to really see what is around us.  So many times, we traipse around with our sights set on only what our ultimate goal is and not even notice our surroundings.  Here lately, that problem has become much worse as folks have a tendency to tote their phones with them.  Their eyes stay glued to the screen which causes them to miss the world.  Being "connected" causes us to lose out on so many things which is exactly why my phone stays inside on the desk.  Good place for something that I deem rather useless.

  That said, a couple of days ago, Mother Nature decided that the world needed a good washing.  What started as a heavy fog in the morning turned to a torrential downpour by mid afternoon and stayed through the night.  That early morning fog decorated the Bayou and woods with some of the most beautiful jewels on earth. Water droplets had settled on each spiderweb that had been spun the night before.  A lot of them were so heavily laden that they were starting to droop and even break but the stronger ones decorated the branches like lovely necklaces.  Mother Nature had cast her jewelry about in a most haphazardly way!  She had bedazzled the Bayou!

  I read once where spider silk is stronger than steel.  This seems strange being as a web is easily broken but the strength is judged by the weight of the silk versus the weight of steel.  Given the same weight of each, the silk is supposedly five times stronger than steel. After seeing the water droplets that had accumulated on a single strand of the fine spider silk, it is easy to understand.  

 Spiders, in general, fascinate me.  I am doubly fascinated by their ability to build such sturdy, yet, intricate webs.  Add to that the beauty that each strand holds after a foggy night and a spider becomes quite the amazing creature.  Folks, take the time to look around you at all of the exquisite works of art out in nature.  Really see what is out there. You will not be disappointed.

The Trap!

  Back when he was a small child, my oldest son was obsessed with the TV show "MacGyver".  He so wanted to be the man he was watching create all sorts of nifty things out of everyday stuff.  He even went so far as convincing his Papa that he "needed" a Swiss Army Knife and a roll of Duck Tape.  (Yes, it really is Duck Tape.)  The knife was a story in itself but this is more about the ingenuity behind the man featured in the show.  Mark was so bent on copying this man's every move that he started creating traps...for everything.  He set a net trap to capture his brother and sister. Possum traps, squirrel traps, minnow traps....he made them all.  He found he could bend trees over and make spring traps.  His poor dad caught the brunt of his creativity as each day, a new trap was set to "capture Dad"!   None of us were safe from his contraptions but it was ok by me.  He was being creative but also learning new methods of making things work.  The show was inspiring my kid to learn and invent and that was great by me.  Today as an adult, there is just not a lot of things that can stump my son.  He always figures out how to make things work with just what is on hand.  I guess you can say that his time in front of the TV was put to good use.

  This morning as I headed out the back door, I would have sworn that my son was back in town and setting traps to catch me off guard.  On either side of the back steps there is a nice size pear tree.  Spanning from tree to tree.....right across the steps....was the finest of all traps.  A spider had spent the night spinning the most beautiful web and this web was heavy laden with droplets of water.  Overnight a heavy fog had rolled in off the water and coated everything in its path.  The spiderweb was dripping with the jewel-like droplets!  I am sure glad that I noticed the web before walking smack dab into it!

  Seeing that spiderweb brought back memories of being caught up in some of Mark's string traps.  Balls and balls of kite string were wound through, around, under and over furniture and doorways.  It was his idea that if anyone ever broke into the Little Bayou House, he would capture them before they could rob the place. I think that I was the only one he ever caught.  Just try being a bleary-eyed, sleep-deprived mom stumbling her way to the kitchen pre-coffee only to be ensnared in a webbing of kite string.  The more I would turn, the more I became tangled.  Oh, the memories!  And...oh, how I would give anything to be back in those days!