If you know me well, you know I hate spiders and am actually a little afraid of them. Normally I would ignore it and hope it would be gone when I returned. But as I looked at it I could see the silk coming from the abdomen, and I saw how it's legs moved to connect the silk with the web; I became fascinated with the spider. And then I realized my unexpected gift from God. The gift of time. This morning I could take the time to stay and watch the spider. I stood there at the front window for 10 minutes just watching it spin it's web, becoming more and more amazed as I watched. The skill, the symmetry, the constant motion. After a few minutes I could actually appreciate the beauty of the spider. Having the spider outside and me inside also helped. Of course, anyone passing by the front of my house would have wondered what I was doing, staring intently out the window!
As I watched I began to wonder about spiders and this spider in particular. So I brought my laptop to the living room window and did a little quick research. I found out that this is an Orb Weaver Spider who actually eats the web every evening and then makes a new one in the morning. They have three claws on their legs; one more than most spiders. The third claw is used to walk on the non-sticky part of the web. Once the web is finished the spider either waits in the middle or moves nearby, still attached to a web thread so it can feel the vibration when an insect is trapped. Then it bites the insect and wraps it in silk before eating it. There are actually over 2800 species of Orb Spiders!
The spider finally finished the web and then crawled over several areas, lifting various threads to check them. It then climbed up a slender thread that led up from the web and attached to the roof ledge. The spider curled it's legs up and rested on the edge of the ledge and I headed off to school.
When I returned home this afternoon, I hurried to the living room to check on the spider. It was hanging upside down in the middle of the web, and there were about a dozen tiny flies stuck in the web. A couple were moving, still trying to escape. And two were already wrapped.
I have never taken the time to really look at spiders (and still prefer them to stay outside and away from me), but the fact that God showed me this one and then gave me the time and desire to just sit quietly and study it was a wonderful gift this morning. It was also a wonderful time to meditate on God's magnificent creativity.
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
(image from www.biology-blog.com/.../ orb-weaver-spider.html)
1 comment:
We had one on our deck (same kind, I think) that I would check on when I went outside. I too hate spiders and am a little freaked out by them. But I told the kids this spider and I had a deal: I left him/her alone and she left me alone. It was fascinating to watch. But now it's gone.
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