cat-faced spider
a cat-faced spider (Araneus gemmoides) - of 'red hairy
knees' fame - laying eggs in October
the spiderlings emerging the next May
(click thumbnail to see larger image)
almost finished laying
eggs
covering eggs with
colored silk
almost done
time for a rest
a few days later - well
camouflaged
the eggs are just
starting to hatch
zoomed in; showing the
round yellow abdomen, glass-like legs and head, and
darker eyes
next day the young
spiders mass together as they leave the 'nest'
2 days later, still
moving out together; they will soon spin strands of
silk and drift away on the breeze
first web - note the
blue iridescence and several captured cat hairs - the
'bar' at the top is about 1/8" in diameter
first meal - the spider
and the fly are not much bigger than pin heads; the
scattered white specks are dust motes caught on the
web - the web itself is about 5 inches across
zoomed in on previous
image