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Many of these pictures were taken at Brazos Bend State Park. I hope that, like me, the next time you see a spider (and they are almost everywhere), you'll take a 
second to admire their form and function...and leave them to their hunting. 

From BBSP on 05/01/2022 and -5/08/2022.  The morning air was thick with mist.Clouds overhead kept the morning grey. I hoped that the water that I could feel
suspended around me would be dried off when the sun broke through. I hurried toward 40-Acre Lake because I hoped to be at the lake trails in time for any choruses of alligator bellowing.
But when I got near the prairie I saw something wonderful, and had to stop. Tiny water droplets had collected on the strands of hundreds of web structures which almost seemed to glow that
grey morning.  While vertical orb webs glistening with dew are beautiful; these were a bit different.  These were horizontal disks, enclosed in delicate clusters of tiny strands.  I tried to take
photos, but I could not capture the scale of these hundreds of clusters scattered across the field.
   

After trying many angles of the prairie, I moved closer to show some detail of the webs. Although they were burdened by water droplets, the centers seemed to be structures like domes--
instead of cups collapsed by the weight of the water. Tiny droplets on the strands collected the natural light into pinpoints. Within the nest of strands, hanging upside-down inside the domes,
were the dark shapes of spiders.  
   

The webs were all on the prairie, not next to the trail, and I haven't been been happy with my macro photography in a long time...so I stayed off the field and shot from a few feet back.
I could focus on the spiders inside, and also on the droplets. I moved on to see the alligators and, hopefully, Limpkins.  Unfortunately the gators didn't chorus, and it started raining a few minutes
after I walked to the trail where the Limpkins are.  After the rain stopped, I walked out to examine the webs--but they were gone (perhaps washed out by the rain).
   

A week later (05/08/2022), I took a closer, drier look at the webs. There were not as many this time. I took a few photos of one of the webs and the attractive owner. Once again, I was off to
look for alligator behavior. Alligators are generally most active from sunrise to about 11am-and that includes courtship season. That is why I moved as though I was keeping an appointment.
In a way, I was.
   

Judging by the size, shape, color--and the interesting horizontal stance, I'd thought  these might Orchard Spiders (Leucauge venusta).  But I'd never noticed these interesting "dome" web
structures before. Perhaps these were "nursery" webs that were made by young spiders. Orchard Spiders make orb webs that are horizontal (unlike most common orb-weavers which hang
their webs vertically), but I usually notice only one flat orb. The pictures below are old photos that I shot in 2002 and 2003.  I was concentrating on getting the adult spider, so I didn't get much
detail of the webs.  That is my finger in those images.
UPDATE 5/16/2022--Thanks to feedback from arachnology experts on Twitter (thanks so far to @tea_francis and @Cataranea) these are Basilica Orbweavers (Mecynogea lemniscata)
 and not what I'd guessed as Orchard Spiders.  Now I have something else to share with folks on the trail!
   
                             10/05/2002                                                              10/12/2003                                                            10/12/2003                                                               11/16/2003

On 10/03/2021; I caught sight of an orbweaver spider (redundant, but stated for clarity) next to 40-Acre Lake. It was about 5 yards away on a branch hanging over the water,
 and illuminated by the morning sun-which highlighted the strands and the dewdrops upon them. However, the sight wasn't going to last, because the spider was packing up its web for
 the day. Some orbweavers create a web at night, and take it down in the morning.  I've read that they usually eat the silk, so they can re-use the raw material for more
webbing. Spider silks are "...proteinaceous and belong to the fibroins..." (Biology of Spiders third edition by Rainer F. Foelix page 136).  Silk is manufactured in a spider's body
from various proteins,  and production is dependent on a spider's internal resources. Eating used silk seems like an efficient "short-cut" for producing more. I haven't seen this
happen very often, and it is usually over quickly. So I shot video and hoped for the best. From what I can figure out, this spider is in the Neoscona genus. (maybe N. arabesca).  
The images below are frame grabs from two video clips, which I've edited into this very short film.  

   

  

06/06; 06/12 and 06/13/2021 (posted 6/25/21) While going down the steps from my apartment, I noticed some quick vibration near my feet. It was a very
young spider, one of the Argiope genus I think, and it was vibrating its web. Intimidating or confusing potential predators are possible reasons for this behavior.
The young spider was also attached to "mat" made of tightly zigzagged silk. This is called a "stabilimentum", and in this case may also serve to disguise the spider by
hiding its outline. The spider was near the same spot the next day. It seemed to be a bit larger. The stabilimentum in its web sure was!  The spider left and I never saw
it again. I have video showing the young spider vibrating its web to hide.  You can compare with older example of an adult shaking its web (just below in the page) and
see quite a difference. The stabilimentum and the vibration can help disguise the spider to hide it. But, from what?  There may be an answer below. Most of the images 
in this chapter are frame grabs  from various video clips that I filmed that day. I've edited the clips together with some older ones with wasps into this video (mp4).
   
                   06/12/2021                                                    06/12/2021                                                   06/12/2021                         
   
                             06/13/2021                                                                     06/13/2021                                                             06/13/2021 

September 12, 2010  Golden Orb Weavers (Argiope aurantia) show an interesting behavior when they are disturbed on their web . The spider starts vibrating. That is, it shakes the entire web by
shifting its body. When the spider is small, it becomes a blur.  When the spider is large (over 2 inch leg span) it's somewhat intimidating.  Here's a video I shot in 2010 that shows this behavior. 
The framegrab image below shows a spider just before it started shaking. The animated gif shows more of the frames from the video.    

July 12, 2004 I guess it's time for a few more spider pictures. Back on June 6, I encountered a web on the Creekfield Trail with a huge beetle in it. There was also a large spider on the web, 
which first ran off an hid in the leaves. After just a few moments, it went back to feed on the beetle (see FROM THE VIDEO, below, or the video clip 464kb). The three images below show the
beetle and the spider (see ONE'S A MEAL, below); a closeup of the spider (see GOOD EATIN', below); and a flash picture of the spider (FLASH ON THE SUBJECT, below) At the time, I was
unable to identify the spider.
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                             ONE'S A MEAL                                                             GOOD EATIN'!                                                    FLASH ON THE SUBJECT                                  FROM THE VIDEO CLIP
                                                                                                                                                                                                VIDEO CLIP 464 kb
Then, on June 27, two of these spiders appeared at the Visitor's Center. I took a picture with a quarter, for scale, and with what is apparently the egg case (see FEMALE AND QUARTER, below).  
Chuck Duplant pointed out a male of the same species nearby, and so he got the quarter treatment, too. (see MALE AND QUARTER, below)      The last image is a cropped closeup of the female
(see GIANT LICHEN ORBWEAVER, below).  Many people were calling this a "Marbled Orbweaver" and that's probably a reasonable identification for this spider. However....
--------
                      FEMALE  AND QUARTER                                            MALE AND QUARTER                                          GIANT LICHEN ORBWEAVER

I was looking through my Field Guide to Spiders and Scorpions of Texas by John A. Jackman, and there, in the color plates-on P 8, no. 21c at the bottom of the page- is a spider that is very close in color 
and shape to this one.  Without going into anatomical detail, it is very difficult to be sure of the species and genus of many spiders.  But, I looked at the latin name for this spider in the book, 
Araneus bicentarius; and looked through the few books I have. I couldn't get a good cross reference, though. However, I looked on the internet, and found a few good matches, with pictures that look very 
similar to mine (I find the white Rorschach pattern at the front of the abdomen quite striking). With some of these pictures was listed the common name "Giant Lichen Orbweaver".  I think this is a very 
descriptive name, considering the size and greenish (resembling lichen) color of the back of the spider. So, that's the identification I will use for this spider.

December 18, 2003  Today's RICKUBISCAM story actually took me about 4 weeks to get the material. It started when I was looking at an orb web, and saw this string of egg sacs. Chuck DuPlant, our volunteer 
"spider guy", came by and showed me something interesting in the web. As the caption in the in the image below indicates, things are not what they seem.
---------------------------------
                                                           MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
 There's a string of eggs there, that's for sure. Here's a closer look at one end of the string (see NICE EGGS,below). Still can't see anything?(yeah...I know, it's only 320 x 240 images, but 
there's a lot of them.)  Here, I'm pointing at the very bottom. That's my fingertip off to the left (see WEIRD EGG, below). Well, after a slight touch, one of the "egg sacs" sprouted LEGS! 
(see WHAT THE HECK?, below)
----
                               NICE EGGS!                                                          WEIRD EGG?                                                         WHAT THE HECK?                                                     I'M JUST JUNK                                                       

                              CYCLOSA 

A little more nudging, and the "weird egg" ran off to the side of the web. It was a spider! (See I'M JUST JUNK, above). It moved off to the edge of the web, and stayed still, acting like a dead 
insect, perhaps.  This spider, an orb weaver, is a member of the Cyclosa genus. My "Field Guide to Spiders & Scorpions of Texas", by John A. Jackman only lists Cyclosa Turbinata in Texas.
There's also a Cyclosa conica (not listed in Texas that I can find), but I can't find anything to compare the two. In any case, I'm pretty sure it's a Cyclosa. The odd-shaped bumps at the end of
the abdomen, and the large beadlike egg string, and the long stabilimentum also help identify this spider. Stabilimenta (plural of "stabilimentum" are the silken structures that some spiders 
add to their orb webs. The Cyclosa leave remnants of past meals in theirs (I've seen the name "Trashline Orbweaver" associated with this spider elsewhere.) The spider, as you can see, sits
at the end of its string of egg sacs, and at the top of its stabilimentum--sort of at the junction between the two types of "web junk". The marking on the egg sacs make them look like a line of
spiders:or, the spider's markings make it look like a another egg sac, while its legs twine in with the narrower tangle.
Isn't that interesting? After I disturbed it, and it ran to the edge of the web, the spider stayed still for a few minutes. Then, it quickly ran back and took its place in the center of the web. When I
applied the same stimulus about 2 weeks later, the same spider didn't run, but instead simply dropped straight down, with a safety line. It hung about 2 feet below the web for a few moments,
and then climbed back up its safety strand, onto the web, and back into its camouflage spot. Is that COOL or WHAT?
----
                                 HELLO?                                                                RUN AWAY!                                                  LET ME BACK IN                                             CLIMBING BACK UP                                 

                     I'M INVISIBLE!

In case this is hard to believe, I've got some short video clips of this spider doing its trick. The images directly above are single frames from these clips. HELLO, above, is from a clip (flv video 364kb) of
it "responding" to a gentle probe.  RUN AWAY, above, is from a clip (flv video 58kb) of the spider deciding to leave.  LET ME BACK IN HERE, above, is from a clip (flv video 335kb) of the spider 
returning to hide.  CLIMBING BACK UP, above, is from a clip (flv video 170kb) of the spider returning from its dropping-off ploy. And finally, I'M INVISIBLE is from a clip(flv video 327kb) of the spider moving
back into place...and look how it blends!  The reason that spiders do this kind of thing is still being discussed. Some believe that the spider is hiding from predators. Others believe that the spider is hiding
itself from potential prey. All I know for sure is that it surprised me!

November 17, 2003 Now that we're looking at it, why do spiders' legs curl up like that when they die? Well, that's pretty interesting. As in the past, I went to the book:
Biology of Spiders, by Rainer F. Foelix, published in 1996 for an answer.  Spiders' legs, as I've mentioned before, are composed of seven segments. That means that there are six articulations, or
joints between them (see LEG SEGMENTS, below).    For general body part names, see BODY PARTS, below.  Although I used the Folix book for a reference while I made these images, any mistakes
that may be apparent are surely mine.
---
                                    BODY PARTS                                                                                             LEG SEGMENTS                                                                                                           HYDRAULIC PUMP

Now, most animals have two sets of opposing muscles that operate their joints. Flexors, which bend them, and extensors, which straighten them. In the spider leg, with six joints, there are two joints which
do NOT have extensor muscles (from the tip of the leg, this is joint number 2, and joint number 4. see HYDRAULIC PUMP, above). That means that there are no muscles to straighten those joints! How then,
can the spider straighten its legs? While you take a moment to wonder about that, consider that spiders not only possess an exoskeleton (the "armor"), but they also have a sort of endoskeleton, or inner 
structural supports as well. They are called "endosterna". These serve as attachment points for certain muscle groups (entosternal muscles).
Largest of the structures of this endoskeleton is shallow cuplike construction that sort of bisects the cephalothorax (prosoma) horizontally. This is called the "endosternite". There are groups of muscles that
attach this structure to the carapace (upper surface) and sternum  (lower surface) of the prosoma. The picture I made above shows these in VERY simplified form. If you are interested, find the book and look
at the professional version.  These muscles can move the endosternite, which can lower the volume inside the cephalothorax. Doing this can increase the fluid pressure inside the spider. This is similar to
you squeezing a toothpaste tube which lowers the volume, which increases the pressure, and forces the toothpaste out .  This increase in fluid pressure acts like a hydraulic pump; and this is what extends
the second and fourth leg joints. Without the pressure the legs will fold, if the muscles contract, and stay folded.  While this seems like an odd arrangement to me, spiders were here long before I was, so 
glitches in the design must have been worked out by now.  Pretty complicated creatures...these "simple", "primitive" spiders.

November 16, 2003 (this update added 5/13/2022)  Most orb weavers build their webs so that they hang vertically. But there's a small beautiful spider that makes a horizontal orb, leaves an
opening in the center, and then hangs like a beautiful jewel under that hole.  That is an Orchard Spider (Lecauge venusta). I got these pictures in 2002 and 2003.  Note that these are 
examples of adults this species.  I'd never published any of them in my domain before, but an interesting development at Brazos Bend State park brought them to mind. So, I'm showing the
pictures here for now. I'll be writing more about the even very soon.
----
                           10/05/2002                                                                     10/12/2003                                                                10/12/2003                                                                 11/16/2003

October 04, 2003  About 50 miles south of Houston is the town of Lake Jackson.  While I was there,  I found a wilderness trail, a small park, and did a little exploring. While I was there, I found 
some of my arachnid friends, the Nephila Clavipes. But, as this was about 9:00 am, I was able to see the sun shining through a number of other spider webs as well, and also I found a lot of 
Crablike Spiny Orb Weavers; also known as Gasteracantha cancriformis. I've shown a white one here before, and thought that I'd show that they vary in color. So, there's a yellow and a red 
one shown here.
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                             YELLOW                                                                               RED                                                                 SPIDER SIZE                                                                 FULL WEB                                                          

  
                          CENTER WEB

These spiders don't get very big (see SPIDER SIZE, above) as my index finger shows. The web is usually marked with tufts of silk, as shown in the fourth picture (FULL WEB, above) with the tufts on the
edges of the web. Also note the circular center web. The other web shows the tufts near the center (CENTER WEB, above), and see how there's an open space (no cross strands) in the center, where the
spider is?  It was nice to enjoy the quieter pace of Lake Jackson for the day.

August 07, 2003  WHAT ABOUT the 3 pictures (POKEGAST, below)?  As visitors to my pages may have noticed, I wear a vest with lots of pockets most of the time (I suppose this is similar to 
what's known as a "forager's vest").  I have a number of these vests, and if one gets wet, or muddy, I immediately change into another one. Today, August 10th, I was transferring the contents of 
all my pockets to a clean, dry vest.    I'd spent a couple of hours smashing rice plants down with the ARGO on Creekfield Lake, and all my clothes had gotten pretty wet. As I checked my pockets
one last time for small items, I found a smallish, pointy lump. I just assumed that it was a seed pod or something botanical that had fallen into my pocket during my rice argoing. When I tossed it,
I watched out of curiosity as it fell. And then I noticed legs. So, I picked it back up, and put it into a small plastic vial that I had (um...yeah, in one of my pockets.)  Later, at a local Starbucks (where
I do a large amount of my page editing, since I use the broadband), I set up my little tripod (from another pocket) and my macro slide; and on one of their tables, I took these pictures.  This is a 
spider commonly known by the rather ungainly name of "Crablike Spiny Orb-Weaver", and also known as Gasteracantha cancriformis. It's rather common at the park, and I thought I'd already 
showcased this critter on my pages, but I haven't. The web is orb-shaped, and can be identified by tiny tufts of silk on the web. These tufts look something like tiny dustballs stuck to some of the 
strands. I've photographed these before, but never this closely. The images below (CENTERED, and WEAVING) were taken September 01, 2002.  The first picture shows some of those tufts of
silk.  Also, here (811kb flv video) is a clip that I took on the same day, of a Crablike Spiny Orb-Weaver weaving its orb web. If you look carefully,  you'll see it touch each support strand with its 
spinnarets and string the cross strand.
----
                           POKEGAST TOP                             POKEGAST W/ FINGER                            POKEGAST FRONT                                              CENTERED IN WEB                                                         WEAVING THE ORB 

I don't like moving the animals from where they live, but since this one had fallen into my pocket somehow, I already had a subject. The middle image (W/FINGER) shows the tip of my index finger
with the gasteracantha. The last image (FRONT) shows it sitting in the palm of my hand.  There's no telling how long the poor thing had been in my pocket. I discovered it was still alive while I was photographing it, though,
so I released it outside in some garden plants, and wished it well.

April 06, 2003 I've been watching the trails for signs of new spiders.  Finally, as the pictures below (YEP, THAT'S SMALL shows,  I found some.

---------------------------------------------                ---------------
                                                 YEP, THAT'S SMALL

It was very difficult to tell what kind they might be. The object in the lower left of the picture is a QUARTER! That's right, a 25-cent piece.  That's a pretty small spider! I hoped that these might
be Golden Silk Spiders (Nephila Clavipes), but it's too early for those to appear. They might be Black and Yellow Argiopes (Argiope Aurantia) though.  Here are more pictures of them (see 
below).  There was just no way to tell what kind of organism the spiders were eating (see WHAT'S IT EATING, below).  That image also shows the spider's underside. The webs, at first glance,
seemed to be random collections of strands, but closer inspection showed that there were orb webs (about 2 inches across) in amongst the strands. I didn't notice any obvious stabilimenta 
(those zig-zag patterns that argiopes make in their webs), either. A comparison of two pictures (WAITING FOR FOOD--taken 04/06/2003, and ADULT ARGIOPE--taken 7/14/2002 ) shows 
some possible resemblance in the color patterns, but the physiological details are just too small to see and compare.
----
                     WHAT'S IT EATING?                                                 DON'T NEED MONEY!                                             WAITING FOR FOOD                                                   ADULT ARGIOPE          

                     QUARTERBACK

Why don't spiders get stuck on their own web when they walk on it?
Spiders have 8 "walking legs". These each have 7 segments. The picture below (BIG TROUBLE) shows the last of these segments, the tarsus. (in order from the outer end, the segments are: 
tarsus, metatarsus, tibia, patella, femur, trochanter, and coxa; click on the LEG SECTIONS image below to see 640 x 480 image). All spiders have claws (two or three) at the end of the outermost
segment (see CLAWS FROM THE SIDE, below). The Nephila Clavipes (and other spiders who hunt by using a hanging web), uses an interesting method to walk on its web. The two "main claws"
(which have serrations on them) are not used for this at all (see CLAW FROM UNDER). Instead, there is a smaller, smooth claw between these two larger hooks. Look closely at the first two 
pictures, and the RICKUBISCAM, and you'll see that the large claws are not holding the web at all.
-----
                          BIG TROUBLE                                                                                                               LEG SECTIONS                                                                                      CLAW FROM THE SIDE                  

              CLAW FROM UNDER
This claw can fold in and back out. There are also two stiff hairs alongside this claw. The spider, when it wants to grasp its web, puts the web between the folding claw and the two hairs, so the 
hairs are on one side of the web, and the claw is on the other. The claw then folds in, and presses the strand of web against the two hairs. This pressure slightly bends the web across the hairs,
and allows the spider to hold onto it. To release, the spider relaxes the muscles which pull the hook, and the web springs back out. The next time you see a spider walking its web, note how only
the very tips of its legs touch the web. As I've noted before, I've used: The Biology of Spiders, by Rainer F. Foelix, published in 1996, as a reference.

March 16, 2003 Okay. I'm sure that repeat visitors to the RICKUBISCAM are wondering: "Rick? What about the SPIDERS?"
Well. For one thing, it's still actually winter. But, here on the RICKUBISCAM page, that doesn't matter. Last Wednesday, I noticed something that was apparently floating above my dining room
table.  Closer inspection showed it to be a spider--in a web!  (See 8- LEGGED WINTER VISITOR, below).  Well, of course I had to take a few pictures. After all, it's not every day that an orb 
web appears over your table.  My visitor appears to be a "Garden", or "Cross"  Spider. (Araneus diadematus.)  While I was looking at the spider, it started moving around the web (see
WEBWALKING, below).  Meanwhile, I was trying to focus on it, so I could use the picture to identify it (see ANOTHER SHOT, below).  Identification was difficult, since the spider's markings
and appearance were hard to see. Why? Well, the last picture (RICK AND THE VISITOR, below) shows the tip of my index finger with the spider, for scale. Kind of difficult to see, wouldn't you
agree?  Since this photo session, the spider has moved on.
---------
                       8-LEGGED WINTER VISITOR                                             WEBWALKING                                                             ANOTHER SHOT                                               RICK AND THE VISITOR

If you'd like to know more about the park follow these links:

Brazos Bend State Park   The main page.

Brazos Bend State Park Volunteer's Page  The volunteer's main page.

Click on this image  to see a flv video movie (942kb) of a series of 9  11 x 14 posters I'm working on.

           Go back to my home page, Welcome to rickubis.com
           Go back to the RICKUBISCAM page.
           Go back to the See the World page.