callumbrae
leafcurlspider150215_A8137
Leaf-curl spider.
Not a very dramatic photo, but one I have waited years to get. Leaf-curl spiders attach a curled-up leaf to their webs and remain inside the leaf permanently, except for the brief moments when they dart out to grab something they have caught and dart back again. There were so many fresh midges caught in this web I thought is was probably worth waiting in readiness for something to happen, and it did.
If you look closely you will see a thread of silk being held by the left back leg. When the spider grabbed the gnat, if fell off the web, but almost instantly pulled itself back to the leaf by the single thread of silk it was attached to. That all happened too fast for me to photograph.
Callum Brae, Australian Capital Territory, February, 2015.
leafcurlspider150215_A8137
Leaf-curl spider.
Not a very dramatic photo, but one I have waited years to get. Leaf-curl spiders attach a curled-up leaf to their webs and remain inside the leaf permanently, except for the brief moments when they dart out to grab something they have caught and dart back again. There were so many fresh midges caught in this web I thought is was probably worth waiting in readiness for something to happen, and it did.
If you look closely you will see a thread of silk being held by the left back leg. When the spider grabbed the gnat, if fell off the web, but almost instantly pulled itself back to the leaf by the single thread of silk it was attached to. That all happened too fast for me to photograph.
Callum Brae, Australian Capital Territory, February, 2015.