7/5/2017 0 Comments My spirit insectSome people have spirit animals. I, on the other hand, have a spirit insect-or maybe more accurate, I have spirit envy. The insect is the golden orb spider and she is pretty awesome. We discovered this rather large spider in the rafters of our porch, in between the pool and the cushioned platform where we spend most of our time at home. We were equipped with a long bamboo stick to make webs, nests, etc. disappear when needed but something kept telling me not to disturb this graceful little creature. She has this amazing web, more intricate than I've ever seen. She's alarmingly large, probably 4-5 inches from end to end and there are these beautiful yellow markings along her legs and back. She doesn't move much at all so we've all just gotten used to her presence. Mike finally decided to look her up to make sure she wasn't poisonous (ever the pragmatist) and check this superhero out. She can produce silk that is 5 times stronger than steel and more flexible than nylon. The military, engineers, clothing manufacturers and lots of other folks are trying to figure out how to duplicate her work in mass. According to a recent article by the Costa Rica Star if mass produced, this silk could make bullet proof vests, improved seat belts and clothing, solar sails, space telescopes, suspension cables, ropes, parachutes, artificial ligament scaffolding and tons more. What?!
She is named for the color of her web which takes on a golden hue to match the golden light of the late afternoon. She is quite the artist too, changing the color of her web to match the new background as the light changes. And get this, she doesn't like ants so she can secrete a chemical in her web that repels them! Lastly, and this little fact made me laugh out loud, she is up to 1000 times larger than her mate and because of this, the male can mate with her without her even knowing. I mean come on ladies, who doesn't think that would be a cool superhero trick from time to time? Most importantly to us personally is that my new friend rarely bites humans and only when provoked. Her bite might leave a scratch but it's relatively painless apparently. The males, however, who have been freeloading most of their lives - eating her leftovers and just living the dream in her marvel of a web -can pack some punch in their bite. Not enough for a hospital visit, but enough to curse his existence for a few days. If there is ever a creature that convinces me of God's sense of humor, this might be it.
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aboutWelcome to my blog Photos + Footnotes. I am Tyler Cunningham and I love taking pictures. It is the best way I know how to express myself and my view of the world. It's when I'm behind the camera that I'm most comfortable. I see colors and details, I observe connections between people. I see joy and pain, abundance and poverty. I am my least judgmental behind the lens, simply seeing and recording. It is how I process the abundance of information the world throws at me. ArchivesCategories |
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