These days, a web can mean many things: a complex system of interconnected elements; the worldwide electronic network which is known as the Internet; or a network of fine threads which are constructed from a fluid that is manufactured and secreted by a spider by using its spinnerets to help it catch its prey.
Sunday Morning Photograph September 19 2021: The Spider and The Web.
To see a spider and its web — these marvels of nature — up close is a treat to who would otherwise be a casual observer. The spider does not care — as long as its diet is uninterrupted.
At its basic core, a web is really not all that complex or complicated. It is a rather simply yet effective design to help provide sustenance for a spider — but it can also be simultaneously resilient and fragile.
Even when the web tends to unravel, it can still be somewhat effective at its main purpose of ensnaring an unsuspecting form of prey — typically an insect of sorts.
A stinkbug was ultimately treated to an even closer view of the spider than I — but that was unfortunate for him, as that was the last thing he saw before he succumbed to becoming a tasty meal for the spider.
Final Boarding Call
I have always respected spiders and usually leave them alone — even if they are in my home, as they are effective natural pesticides; and many spiders are harmless to human beings. All spiders need is a nice cozy corner, where they would quite rather be inconspicuous — after all, that is part of the trick to catching their prey. At worst, if they are in a spot which I prefer they do not reside, I simply have them moved to a different location — usually outside…
…and no, the inside of my home is not rampant with spiders everywhere — but I certainly do enjoy looking at one outside my window, as was the case with this specific experience.
As for that web we weave as a society, I often wonder if it is unnecessarily substantially more tangled than it is in actuality. People often tend to overcomplicate what should be simple matters that usually have simple solutions.
Perhaps we should figuratively look to the spider to simplify — and perhaps improve — society as a whole these days…
Please click here for a complete list of the Sunday Morning Photograph series of articles at The Gate.
All photographs ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
