Leaf curling spider
Spotted one of these ingenious wee spiders in our garden this afternoon, they use a leaf in the middle of the web as their home..... Here is a brief description that I blatantly stole from a website....
"Leaf-Curling spiders are easily identifiable because they build a shelter from a rolled-up leaf, which they place in the centre of their web. (No other spider does this). Because of this, they're easy to spot and therefore pose no real danger to anyone. (In any case, they're non-venomous). Should a person disturb their web, their instinct is to withdraw into their leaf rather than confront. However, if an insect lands in the web, they'll waste no time in rushing out to grab themselves a snack!
The Leaf-Curler is actually quite attractive for a spider, being brightly coloured with yellow and black markings across their over-sized abdomens.
Leaf-Curling spiders belong to the Araneidae order of orb-weavers. Their web is constructed as three-quarters of a circle, with the leaf suspended in the missing section at the top.
The leaf is hauled from the ground by the spider using a silken pulley system and more silk is used to 'sew' it together. Leaf-Curlers preferentially choose Eucalyptus leaves, but other plant leaves are sometimes used, or even snail shells!"
Leaf Curling Spider..... must have taken ages to come up with that!
- 2
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- Apple iPhone
- f/2.8
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