We had a storm front move through yesterday and this morning was clear, cool and windy. Something caught my eye, and I looked up at the deep blue sky to see hundreds of white strings of spider web drifting on the upper air currents. I'd never seen anything like this before, so I had to come back in and Google it. Here's what I found on Wikipedia:
"A spider (usually limited to individuals of a small species), or spiderling after hatching,[3] will climb as high as it can, stand on raised legs with its abdomen pointed upwards ("tiptoeing"),[4] and then release several silk threads from its spinnerets into the air. These automatically form a triangular shaped parachute[5] which carries the spider away on updrafts of winds where even the slightest of breezes will disperse the arachnid."
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| (Image: WFAA/Facebook) |
I guess I should have remembered the ending of E. B. White's children's book Charlotte's Web. This is exactly what happened, but I'd never seen it firsthand. We have found them draped across trees, fences and on the ground today. Amazing.
I would love to see those strings of spider webs floating in the air. I do see lots of webs everywhere these days and have learned to be careful not to run in to any!
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