SCOTT SHALAWAY Spiders catch us in web of interest

I hate walking through spider webs. The silk sticks to my arms and face and gets on my clothes. But I suppose I should consider myself lucky; I'm too big to be fatally entangled.
Whenever I spot the beautiful, deadly web of an orb-weaving spider, I take a few minutes to observe. Unlike Miss Patience Muffet, daughter of the spider-loving Reverend Dr. Thomas Muffet (1553-1604), I'm fascinated by orb-weavers. My favorite is the striking black-and-yellow garden spider. It's big, colorful, and common.
Making a bridge
Orb weavers begin their web by establishing a bridge from one anchor to another. From a twig or grass stem, for example, the spider releases a strand of silk from its several pairs of silk-making organs called spinnerets. The breeze catches the strand and carries it until it touches another perch and the bridge is formed.
After strengthening the bridge by moving across it several times and laying down more layers of silk, the spider drops from a strand fastened to the center of the bridge.
It repeats this process a number of times in all directions until there are a series of strands radiating outward from the central hub. Then the spider adds an outward spiral to complete the web. Spider silk is strong, elastic, and sticky -- perfect for snaring unwitting prey.
Look closely, and you'll often find a heavy zigzag or crosshatch pattern near the center of the web. This is a lure that attracts unsuspecting insect prey. These distinctive patterns are made of silk that reflects ultraviolet light. The rest of the webs spiral and radiating strands lack this quality.
Prey is attracted to the UV reflection because many pollen and nectar laden flowers also reflect UV light. Insect pollinators can see UV light and are thus duped into investigating the web's reflectivity. After they land on the web, it's too late. They become caught on the sticky invisible strands, and the vibrations caused by their thrashing alerts the web weaver that dinner is served.
Subdues victim
The spider then dashes out to the victim and subdues it, using all of its eight legs (insects have six legs). It hangs onto the web with its first two pairs of legs, the third pair grabs the prey, and the fourth pair pulls silk from the spinnerets to wrap around the victim.
When the prey is subdued, the spider bites it and injects a paralyzing venom. It then either eats the unfortunate victim, or cuts the silken mummy from the web and stores it elsewhere to be eaten later.
But not all spiders spin webs to capture prey. Brightly colored crab spiders, whose enlarged forward-directed front four legs give them a crablike appearance, hide among flowers and wait for prey to come to them. When pollinators stop by, the crabs attack.
Wolf spiders are large, active, common predators that run down their prey. When not hunting they spend their time under rocks or in burrows.
Female wolf spiders carry their egg cases under their abdomen, and when the spiderlings emerge, they gather on their mother's back. If startled, the brood can scurry in all directions, leaving the impression that a big spider magically transformed into many tiny ones.
Fishing spiders rest on bits of floating vegetation and detect vibrations on the water surface when insects fall in. The water serves as a substitute web.
Other times, fishing spiders feed more actively. They may dangle their front legs in the water to lure a nearby aquatic insect or minnow. If the lure works, the hunter becomes the hunted.
Ingenious anglers
European fishing spiders are even more ingenious. They attach a silk platform to an underwater plant and then release air bubbles under the platform.
The spider enters the trapped air bubbles and hunts from the submerged chamber. When prey gets too close, these spiders dive out, grab the victim, and return to the chamber for a leisurely meal.
Spiders, like bats and snakes, have an image problem with the general public. But if you take time to get to know them, they are among the most fascinating players on nature's ecological stage.
sshalaway @aol.com