Spider Web-filled Fields
While perhaps not as impressive as the square miles of fields and trees that have been totally covered in spider webs in New Zealand, Pakistan, Tasmania and Southern Australia over the past year or two, New England does have its share of fields adorned with spider silk. The silk in foreign lands was the result of spiders ballooning (floating aloft on gossamer they spin that is lifted by the wind) in spring – an effective means of dispersal. The silk we see highlighted in fields in the early morning dew of autumn in New England serves as webs, or traps, for unsuspecting insects. A majority of these webs are made by grass spiders, many of which weave a horizontal sheet of silk that have a funnel often on one side leading down to a spider hide-a-way. When vibrations alert the spider to a potential meal that is caught in its web, it rushes out, injects the insect with digestive enzymes, and drags it back into its retreat where it begins to feed.
Naturally Curious with Mary Holland 
Amazing Mary. Would not have known that!
October 11, 2017 at 8:40 am
Going to Australia and Tasmania this month. Maybe we will witness this phenomena.
October 11, 2017 at 8:57 am
Little ‘field fishermen’ comes to mind…casting their nets on the grass.
October 11, 2017 at 9:12 am
An interesting species is Frontinella communis, the Bowl and Doily Weaver, with its two-level web.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/996803
October 11, 2017 at 9:27 am
Some years ago I took a walk with a friend in the woods of western Massachusetts in the early morning, with sunlight coming through the trees. Sunlight hit a spider web, a sort of rounded tent, and it had a beautiful iridescence! I still have it in my mind’s eye. ~ Dede Heath
October 11, 2017 at 10:26 am
I have noticed these webs on my lawn in southern Quebec in the fall. Now I know why they are there.
October 11, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Love the picture. it’s a scene that’s difficult to capture. You did it!
October 11, 2017 at 3:45 pm
Mary, thank you for your wonderful presentation in Woodbury last evening! I learned a lot and it was great fun. thank you for your good work! Annie
October 12, 2017 at 9:40 pm
I had read about this in Australia a few years ago, however, I didn’t know it happened in all these other places as well. I’m sorry, but I hate spiders and could never be near a field like that. It gives me the shivers just picturing it. I know spiders eat bad bugs, but so do so many other not-so-creepy insects. 🙋🐦
October 15, 2017 at 9:24 am
These sheet web doilies are a thrill of late summer mornings!
Over the last decade, thanks to many early-mid November walks at Great Meadows NWR I observed a yearly rhythm of gossamer days over the marsh when the temperature and winds were optimal for a mass ballooning of young spiders. The thousands of threads glinting and billowing across the marshscape were magical, especially at sunset. I learned at that time of the coincident occurrences around the world and the lore associated with them and was guided to observe the whole experience more closely in Concord by Thoreau’s keen accounts. I made a post with photos on my website early on in the experience, http://www.senseofplace-concord.com/2015/11/gossamer-days-return.html.
October 16, 2017 at 8:32 pm
Amazing blog, Cherrie, and post. I am in awe of your natural history knowledge and experience, as well as your photography!
October 16, 2017 at 10:38 pm
Hi Mary, My neighbor brought this leaf over to me last night. It was in his vegetable garden. I can’t make out what kind of leaf it is, but I’m pretty sure the white fuzzy thing is a gall. It most resembles a wasp gall on an oak. I thought you might find it interesting.
By the way, I feature your daily blog information on my morning board in my classroom. I teach grades 7 and 8 science in Richmond, Vermont.
Sandy
Sandra S. Fary Science/ELA Teacher Grade 7-8 Camels Hump Middle School Richmond, VT 05477
On Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 8:33 AM, Naturally Curious with Mary Holland wrote:
> Mary Holland posted: “While perhaps not as impressive as the square miles > of fields and trees that have been totally covered in spider webs in New > Zealand, Pakistan, Tasmania and Southern Australia over the past year or > two, New England does have its share of fields adorned w” >
October 24, 2017 at 6:47 am
Hi Sandy,
Could you send the photo of the leaf/gall to me at mholland@vermontel.net? WordPress doesn’t pass on photos…thank you!
October 24, 2017 at 6:26 pm