Spiders and Webs
Different spiders weave webs that differ in shape and thread quality. Orb weavers make sticky spirals and dry radial and frame threads. The common grass spider weaves entirely dry meshes. The threads I show exhibit continuous or partly continuous beads of color. However, because they are so thin, they need to be photographed slightly out of focus or, in rare cases, in vibration, both of which artificially widen the threads into what I call pseudobands, to best visualize the colors. All images were illuminated by direct sunlight, either by reflection or transmission.
Detail of a Grass Spider Web: The thin in-focus and nearly in-focus fibers in the foreground show evidence of beaded color. Those out-of-focus show colorful pseudobands. The imaged area was about 1.7 cm wide. I find that the colors are caused by selective pigmentary absorption during reflection and transmission for many reasons including no change of color with viewing angle, color consistency in multiple reflections, and black bands suggesting total absorption. Other causes are interference between thread surface and back surface reflections, and speckle from a rough surface of each colored segment.
Grass Spider: This is the spider that spun the web for my transmission images. The web was on the light above my garage entrance. I caught her when she came out to investigate a vibration I accidentally made. She was about 1 cm long in body length.
Molly Within A Grass Spider Web: The thinnest threads are in focus in this backlit transmission image. The colorful pseudobands are out-of-focus threads. The skin was 1.4 cm wide between the farthest separated leg tips.
Vibrating Grass Spider Thread (upper image) And Its Multiple Reflection: The two backlit purple threads appear almost identical, with in-focus tapers at both ends. One is the real one and in a full, half-wave transverse oscillation at 500 Hz or multiples thereof, given my shutter speed. The other resulted from a multiple reflection generated within the thread, but offset in direction, like a multiple of a rainbow. Other threads are banded because they are out of focus.
Grass Spider Threads #2: Reflected light image of part of a funnel web in my garden. The imaged area width was about 2.9 cm.
Grass Spider Threads #3: This is a backlit sunlight transmission image. The single pink color suggests uniform chemistry. The imaged area width was about 2.4 cm.
Grass Spider Threads #4
Grass Spider Threads #5
Grass Spider Threads #6
Grass Spider Threads #7
Grass Spider Threads #8
Grass Spider Threads #9
Crossing Grass Spider Threads
Threads Strung From Branches, Including a Triangle Web at Upper Right from A Triangle Web Spider.
Detail of Threads Strung From Branches
Grass Spider Web in The Field: Each thread comprises a continuum of colored dots. The imaged area width was 3 cm.
Sixspotted Orbweaver and Four Unfocused Threads: The threads progressively unfocused away from the spider.
Molt and Green Thread Within A Grass Spider Web: The green thread was about 6 cm long. Note the nearly evenly-spaced black bands.
Sixspotted Orbweaver Spider and Unfocused Thread: The unseen spots were on its back.
Capillary Fringes in Dew On A Grass Spider Web
Blue Grass Spider Web With Large Dew Drops
Blue Grass Spider Web With Seed
Grass Spider Web With Purple And Brown Maple Leaf