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I for the past month been observing a garden spider just outside my bathroom window. I will be the first to say I HATE spiders. I have been afraid of them since I was a small child . However since I have had the opportunity to watch this garden spider build her web it has been quite and experience. Each day she builds the web and each morning it is all torn up and sometimes gone all together. I watched her build it and it was such an interesting thing to watch. She actually had a "friend" a smaller spider that seemed to be helping her build. We have had some heavy rains over the past week and when the web is wet it looks so beautiful!

When we returned from Portland last week the web was gone and I did not see the spider so I thought maybe a bird got her but yesterday there she was building it again. It has given me a new respect for spiders to watch this spider building her web EVERYDAY! Wow, what a worker.

Anyway since it is the spooky Halloween season and spiders are scary creatures I will be posting numerous pictures and articles on spiders.

I found this one online. Enjoy!
Hey guys don't forget about my Halloween ATC Challenge. Come on and join in the fun!
Even spiders create!!!!

SPIDER WEBS

  October has the scent of Autumn. Autumn is falling colored leaves. The smell of acidic oak leaves, and fresh cold
morning airs. Autumn is also the time for cool damp mushroom growing, and for foggy mornings. Which brings us back to
the main topic here-spiderwebs. The damp mornings fill the spiderwebs and spot the sluggish spiders with glistening dew
drops.

This is the spider just outside my window. Just look at her web how beautiful it is when it is wet from the rain.

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  Just when you thought it was safe to go outside...! You would be shocked if you thought the itsy-bitsy spider was
confined to an occasional web in the field, but look what we find when the dew settles and the sun rises upon the scene.
Hundreds of various shaped spiderwebs dotting the field!

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  I had stumbled upon a few photos on the internet which were awesome. The photos were of refracted sunlight through the
strands of a spider web. Other photos were of 'rainbows' appearing on dew covered leaves and spiderwebs. I have
photographed both of these bows, but have never seen the colors coming from spiderweb strands. Incedently, you must
have the camera out-of-focus to make the colors appear.

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  The first photo is a spider on top of a mesquito caught in the web.

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  I have have finally tried spiderwebs in the fog. The intracate details in a spiders web are brought out by the dew in
a beautiful glistening manner. Many different spiders, many different webs. Here at sunrise I shot a few photos...

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All photos available for sale at: 'universed4@yahoo.com'
All photos are copyrighted. No use or duplicating without written permission.

This following article is so interesting because I watched my spider build her web and it was just as you see here. It just amazing to watch.

The construction of a wheel web

How does an orb web spider make its web?

The most difficult part seems to be the first thread. Does the spider fly? Does she throw a line to the other side? Does she walk down and up at the other side carrying a thread that she attaches between the two sides?

No, none of these ideas are true. The solution is simple. The spider releases a sticky thread that is blown away with the wind. If the breeze carried the silken line to a spot where it sticks the first bridge is formed. The spider cautiously crosses along the thin line reinforcing it with a second line. She enforces the line until it is strong enough.

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After this the spider constructs a loose thread and constructs a Y shaped thread.
These are the first three radii of the web. Then a frame is constructed to attach the other radii to.

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After all the radii are completed the spider start to make the circular threads. At first non-sticky construction threads a made. The distance between the threads is so wide that the spider can span the width with her legs.

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Finally the sticky thread is woven between the circulars thread. While attaching the sticky thread to the radii the construction thread is removed by the spider.
Then web is completed with non sticky radii and sticky circular threads and the spider can rest and sit in the center of the web with her head down.

After a night of hunting the web becomes worn out. The spider removes the silk in the morning by eating it, only leaving the first bridge line. After a daytime rest the spider constructs a new web in the evening. If the catch was low and the web is not heavily damaged the web may stay during the day and be reused after minor repairing.
There are a lot of variations on this type of orb web. The web shown is made by the orb web spiders Araneus diadematus. Spiders of other families construct other types of web.