Sky v Webs

My long-distance friend who lives in the US keeps sending me a wide range of fantastic photos and has challenged me to return the compliment. The last week or so has provided me with the opportunity to take a few pictures, and I include them below with a couple of observations, but, unfortunately, they are not up to his standards.

The above four photos are a small taste of what this spider achieved overnight. The web was about three and a half feet (about 110cm) across, and the extremely long attaching lines extended well over double this distance. He, or she, deserves a medal, but that is not likely to happen as the web entirely disappeared by the next morning. The overnight dew added to the appeal, but there was no sunlight, and what light was available was coming from the wrong direction. Well done spider.

Unfortunately, this early sunrise did not have the colour (color) I was looking for, but you could see the potential. The Bunya Pine Trees are endemic to a tiny area at a higher altitude about 40 miles (64 km) from here. They only extend down to about 450m (1400ft) as they do not like frost. This may seem precisely opposite to what usually happens, but in our part of the world (the semi-tropics) the colder air sinks into the valleys making that area colder. Our house’s veranda, from where these photos were taken, is at about 500m (1550ft) and these trees only exist to a point just below us.

Enjoy, until next time.