My 11 month old son and I had ventured outside to take a nature feel and as we came around back into the conservatory saw this web, almost picture-book, well knitted, about half a metre across, its proud creator in the crown perch. Junior in my arms at the time, made his presence felt by flagging the dewy twigs right over the web.
Obviously hassled by a less than considerate little homosapien in his vicinity Mr.Spider (gender assumption) scurried off to relative safety at a ledge not far where he was able to keep a watch over his web. And as he did that, I realised soon that our intrusion seemed to be depriving the poor chap, fruit of his painstakingly assembled web. A little entangled moth, was apparently benefiting from our presence in slowly disengaging himself from his predicament.
More to steer clear of intervention in nature than in partisanship towards either party, we quietly move to the far end of the courtyard. A few minutes later as we ventured back, found a bit of action underway. Mr.Spider was back in the middle and very much in control, neatly folding the moth away in his sticky, thready produce, almost as one would roll cotton onto a spindle. Junior conjectured carefully this time and did not intrude. A newly found respect for Mr. Spider I think. Assertion begets respect and the arachnid did show some assertion in coming back despite presence of larger beings around.
Actually more than one reason to award the fellow some respect -
One, placing the web right in front of a window and on the outside is quite an intelligent location. Moths and others of their kind are attracted towards light, and close hours of the day is good time for business. Evolution or coincidence? Banking on Charles Darwin's theory of species, am inclined to believe its evolution.
Secondly, the chap is by coincidence keeping our domestic airspace relatively moth-free, fair payback for window usage rights!
Missed the photo-op, so an illustrative to go with, not to scale :).
