Spectacular spinning......

Winter is finally just around the corner after such a mild Autumn. The frosts are starting to become spectacular and magically transform the countryside. I love to look at the spiders webs when the frost picks each one out. They are a thing of beauty and a marvel of construction. Each web starts with a single strand thrown to a anchor point then a second thread bought back again. The second thread then sags to make a V-shape across the two points. This is the bought down into a Y-shape from the center and secured, then all the web threads begin. The first set of threads are called frame threads and these lay out the structure. Next are the radius threads and these infill. Finally the spider will lay a single thread called the auxiliary spiral from the center to the outer edge. Using this as its reference point it will then spin a sticky thread in spirals from the center, eating the auxiliary thread as it does. As it reaches the last few laps it switches to non sticky thread. This allows the center to trap insects and the outside clear for quick travel. The spider then waits for the vibrations of struggling prey. As if that is not wonderful enough, these amazing little chaps practice recyling. As the web deteriorates and is no longer useful to catch food, many spider species will eat up all the threads so they can actually recycle the precious raw silk. That's nature at its best!

   The raw beauty of frost as it brings a rather wintry feel to the Chalk Downlands- woolly jumpers advised!