Tag Archives: Spiders

Sometimes the spider wins

Posted on Monday, 3 April 2017 by

I often see a wasp in summer, dragging around a spider larger than itself, whose legs it has have ripped off the spider’s paralysed body. The wasp places the body in its egg chamber, all nice and fresh for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Spiders | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Meanwhile in Cape Town … the spider invasion

Posted on Sunday, 19 February 2017 by

Friend Jane says there’s been an influx of Nephila fenestrata, the black-legged golden orbweaver, into suburban Cape Town. Where she lives, the strong webs of these spiders are being strung across walking paths as well as gardens. Luckily, it’s easy … Continue reading →

Posted in Spiders, Travels, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Tiny treasures: the invertebrates

Posted on Sunday, 18 September 2016 by

Some of the many enjoyable activities on the Hinterland Bush Links course involved the invertebrates of the subtropical rainforest. Our fearless leader was the enthusiastic Michelle Gleeson (of Bugs Ed and author of Miniature Lives).           … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land, Insects, Spiders, Travels | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Lugging the luckless legless

Posted on Sunday, 23 November 2014 by

Why are we not overwhelmed with insects and other small greeblies? Some would say we are, but think how many more there would be without them all preying on one another. Birds eat spiders and wasps, which eat spiders, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The silence in the forest

Posted on Friday, 20 July 2012 by

Walking along the tracks of Lord Howe Island’s palm forests was a strange experience. All I could hear was the wind through the palm leaves, the sea and the occasional rustle. At home when I hear rustling, it’ll be a … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds, Lizards, Molluscs, Spiders, Travels | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Insect days

Posted on Wednesday, 18 April 2012 by

The warm and sunny autumn days of the last couple of weeks (until yesterday) have brought out the insects. The birds were probably very pleased when the rain stopped and they could get a decent feed. I found a stick … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Lizards, Spiders | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

A bookish spider

Posted on Thursday, 29 September 2011 by

Indulge my anthropomorphism for a moment … “Know thyself”, wrote Plato, and this little spider is perhaps taking it to heart, trying to read a scientific tome. But it’s reading the wrong book – the CSIRO’s “The Insects of Australia”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land | Tagged | 4 Comments

The thing on the ceiling

Posted on Friday, 12 August 2011 by

Luckily for me, any spider phobia was nipped in the bud at an early age by my Dad. He used to laugh (not unkindly) when a small me confessed to being frightened to go to the outside toilet when the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals on land | Tagged | 2 Comments