Home is Where the Web Is

Animal homes come in many different shapes and sizes. Some animals make their homes with materials they collect. Birds build nests. Beavers build lodges. Humans also build their homes. What if you could make the materials to build your own home? Spiders actually make the material in their bodies to build webs.

Spider silk is both strong and functional. The webbing protein made by a spider flows through special body parts known as spinnerets. Some of the strands of silk are not sticky but used for the structure of the web. Other web strands of spider silk are sticky and designed to catch the spider’s meals. A spider will also use silk to wrap up its insect meal to eat later as a snack.

Spiders cannot really write words in their webs like Charlotte A. Cavatica in the book Charlotte’s Web. (“Charlotte” was a Barn Spider – species name Araneus cavaticus!) But, an Orb Weaver’s web is really an amazing engineering and artistic project. An Orb Weaver’s web looks like the “typical” spider web we often see in drawings.

Golden Orb Weaver Photo: 8-14-2006 Robert E. Strong

The Orb Weaver in the photograph is a Golden Orb Weaver. The Golden Orb Weavers often live in fields of tall grasses and weeds or build their webs between tree branches or bushes. These black and yellow spiders are quite large but the Golden Orb Weavers are only a danger to the insects that fly or jump into their webs.

Other types of spiders don’t build orb webs. Some spiders make funnel webs. Funnel webs sparkle in the grass on a dew-kissed morning. The Grass Spiders that build funnel webs escape and hide in the narrow end of the funnel.

Funnel Web “Grass” Spider Photo: Don Pollack 8-15-2005

Another common spider is the Cob Web spider. Their webs are tangled strands of silk that are often found in the corners of rooms to catch insect meals.

Wolf Spiders do not spin webs, but do produce silk for their egg sac. When the eggs hatch, the young spiders ride on the mom’s back!

Although many people fear spiders, they are fascinating to watch and most spiders are not dangerous to humans. The Black Widow and the Brown Recluse are the only two species of poisonous spiders in our area.

Watch the Web Activity:

As the days grow warmer and insects flourish in the spring and summer, more spider webs are found. Find a spider web in your yard or on your front or back porch (anywhere nearby will do). The spider that builds this web may be sitting in the open on the web or may be shy and only occasionally be visible. Notice what the spider is doing. Don’t harm the spider – just watch it. Draw a spider portrait if you like. What color is your spider? How many legs does it have? How is a spider similar to an insect? How is a spider different than an insect?

Web Photography Activity:

To really appreciate the artwork and building skills of your spider, try taking a photo of some of your favorite webs. One of the best times to photograph a web is early in the morning while the dew is still on the web as tiny beads of water catch the rays of the early Sun. Enjoy the crisp air and one of nature’s wonders at the same time. If you sleep too late to photograph a dew-covered web, you can gently spray water (if you get water from the tap, let it sit out overnight) using a clean spray bottle. Mist the water gently over the spider web and let the fine mist settle on the web. Spider silk does not dissolve in water and will sparkle beautifully when spritzed with water in the Sun. If you take a web or spider photo you would like to share with us you can send it to the SMART-Center at the address: strongro@westliberty.edu and we will put it in our Spider Gallery.

For further information on spiders please see our webpage at www.smartcenter.org/ovpm/spiders

Other family oriented science related activities co-sponsored by the SMART-Center

12 part series “Beyond The Solar System”, June 20:

ASTROLABE Astronomy Club meets on the third Wednesday evening of each month at 7:00 p.m. on the Second floor of the Warwood Center at 1610 Warwood Avenue, Wheeling and will host the first in a Free 12 part monthly series “Beyond the Solar System”. The topic for June 20, 2007 is The Closest Star System to Earth and is the first part in this the series exploring space beyond the Solar System. The program will offer hands-on activities appropriate for all age groups. Snacks and refreshments are provided. The series is sponsored in part by the Near Earth Object Foundation. After the meeting, if the sky is clear, a free public StarWatch will be held in front of the Warwood Center.

Radio Science News

If you want to learn more about science, you can tune into “Radio Science News” on WVLY 1370 AM, Saturday mornings from 11:05 a.m. to noon. “Radio Science News” immediately follows the two-hour nature program, “The Wild Side”, hosted by the regional naturalist Dr. Scott Shalaway. Robert E. Strong and Richard Pollack co-host “Radio Science News”, a local radio call-in program with a science theme. Check the website http://neofoundation.org/radiosciencenews/ for current topics and information.

Science in Science Fiction Club, June 13:

The “Science in Science Fiction Club” meets on the second Wednesday evening of each month at 6:00 p.m. on the Second floor of the Warwood Center at 1610 Warwood Avenue, Wheeling. Free to the public, snacks and refreshments are provided as we watch and discuss the science in science fiction movies. Check the website www.smartcenter.org for movie titles and information.

What’s Up? Free Monthly StarWatches at Brooke Hills Park, June 15:

Free public StarWatches every third Friday evening of each month at 8:00 p.m. at Brooke Hills Park’s Clubhouse will be led by members of the ASTROLABE Astronomy Club, staff of the WLSC SMART-Center, and the Near Earth Object Foundation.

Telescopes will be provided, and the public is also invited to bring their telescopes to the StarWatch events. If the weather does not permit outdoor telescope viewing, the co-presenters will give an astronomy related interactive presentation for the whole family. Please visit www.smartcenter.org/whatsup/ for up-to-date listing of astronomy and other events.

Libby and Robert Strong and Richard Pollack work at the West Liberty State College SMART-Center and invite you to visit the SMART-Center website at www.smartcenter.org