Jewelled webs

The astounding levels of productivity shown by the forests' spiders never ceases to amaze me. The gorse were again festooned in their bejewelled gossamer creations this morning.

Gossamered Gorse

The spiders have been toiling hard out on the exposed plain of Spy Holms, their gossamer works encapsulating several gorse bushes. Their nocturnal works are a wonder to behold. How can they produce so much over one night? Is each the work of one or many? How can they produce a material so fine that it covers a bush as if a giant sheers stocking has placed about it?  Finally, why?

Hanging around

One of the first stretches of forest drain to be restored to it's earlier course, maybe 25 years ago, Blackensford Brook now runs through a diverse corridor of bog woodland flora, tufted grasses mingle between trunk and shrub. The restoration plan is working, the brook now drains the surrounding land more slowly and over the intervening years there's no doubt that the woodland along the environs of the brook are becoming wetter. Trying to walk along the bank of the brook today was like walking through Mirkwood, with every conceivable opportunity to string a web taken, every bramble, bough, tuft, tussock and fern were joined by a filigree of gossamer. A spider waited in the center of each these bejewelled traps.