Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning

A fly

An interesting black bug

Without flash - look at the complex eye structure

A drop on a Parawixia web

This guy (note the palps) came climbing up as I was spraying the web. Look at all the water droplets on the legs. I think they aggregate around the leg hairs. This is a male Tylorida ventralis

Here, Tylorida ventralis harvesting water drops making large drops from small drops

A display of drops

Here he is drinking water with one of his legs

Note the large male palps of Tylorida ventralis. Apparently this guy can continue mating for 24 hours - apparently a spider record

Later, another view. Note the dragline silk and large palps

With 1st legs elongated

Walking tward the center - note dragline silk. And now, the water drops around his leg hairs has disappeared

An Argiope with dinner

I spooked her and she dropped to the ground

But I found her

And later she returned

I managed to spooke her again and she dropped her dinner (or breakfast)

And retreated a bit

Then she retreated to the top of her web

With two legs curled in front of her

Then she returned again to dinner

I think this is a cylosa web - which caught some of the water I sprayed on the Parawixia web

C. Frank Starmer

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