Jewel # 443 (Apr. 29, 2021)

 

Black Widow Spider

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

make up MY JEWELS.

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

Let’s Talk About Spiders

Part 2

“I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.”  Psalm 145:5

In our discussion about spiders recently, we learned that all spiders spin silk, but not all spiders make webs.  Each species of spider has a different life story.

The first spider we’ll look at is the bola spider which catches its dinners by “fishing”.  Instead of spinning a web, it produces one long thread with a drop of sticky silk on the end.  It sits on a branch and drops this line down, swinging it back and forth until an insect flies into the sticky ball.  Then it  pulls up the thread, like reeling in a fishing line, and eats its meal. 

The triangular spider spins a three-sided web between two twigs, with a tail hanging down from the bottom.  The spider holds tightly to this tail to keep the web open.  The moment an insect touches the triangle, the spider lets go of the tail, and the web springs like a trap and captures the victim.

Any female spider may mistake the male for prey and eat him.  However, males have ways of guarding against this.  If a male wishes to make friends with a female, he vibrates the edge of her web with one of his feet.  The female is immediately alerted.  If she is hungry, she crosses the web, and that’s the signal for the male to make a quick exit.  But if the female remains quiet, he senses she has already eaten and he goes to her, sometimes taking a little present.  However, he never stays long or he will have to pay for his visit with his life.  This is why one species is know as the black widow, because she almost always kills and eats her mate

Flying spiders point their abdomen towards the sky and spin webs that act like parachutes.  When the wind catches one of these, the spider holds on tightly, and off it flies on a real adventure.  Sometimes they are lifted thousands of feet in the air and are carried over oceans and mountains before landing.

The crab spider hides in a flower and waits for an insect to land and then captures it.  It not only looks like a miniature crab, but but it can also walk backwards and sideways like crab.  Some crab spiders change their colour to match the flower they are hiding in.

The many spiders all over the world and their amazing ways are fascinating examples of the wonders of God’s creation.  They show us that the little things as well as the big things of life are all under His watchful care.  It is good for us to remember that we are also under His care and that “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).          

Love you all - Grandpa

Jewel # 442 (April 3, 2021)

 

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I 

makeup MY JEWELS.

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

Birds on the Move  -  Part 4

“By springs of water shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.”

Psalm 104:12 

Two questions were asked in an earlier issue about migrating birds: Where do they get strength for such flights? and how do they find their way?

For any of them, whether a small hummingbird or a large goose, to fly non-stop over a wide ocean certainly takes a great amount of strength and could not be done if the Creator did not give them a terrific hunger long before such a trip takes place.  Eating large quantities of extra food provides an unusual layer of fat (sometimes doubling their weight) which becomes the “fuel” needed for their travels. Isn’t this a wonderful provision of the One who has them in His care?

The question, “How do they find their way?” remains unanswered.  All researchers can do is make guesses—one of which is that birds are guided by the sun.  But this raises a new question:  How are they able to find their way when when the sun is hidden by fog or clouds? Another guess is that when flying at night, they are guided by the moon and stars.  So how do they navigate when these are not visible?

Still another guess is that their routes are learned from the parents.  That seems to work with certain birds, but then we ask, what about those that fly away and leave their young ones to follow later?  Some researchers have carried birds from one side of the Atlantic ocean to the other side and raised them there until migration time.  How do these find an entirely new route to the same destination as their former companions?  Similar tests have been made by taking certain eggs to distant countries, hatching and releasing them at the migratory period.  These birds also find their way without difficulty.

We must admit that wonderful controls are at work in the brains of these birds, and the most dedicated researchers may never find a true explanation.  We know that the real answer lies with the Lord God who gave them these abilities and implants needed intelligence in their heads so that they adjust to any unusual circumstance.  Certainly, these migrations are one of the outstanding wonders of God’s creation.  

Another very special wonder is that He invites every boy and girl, every man and woman, to come to heaven when life here on earth is finished.  "The Lord said when He was here, I go and prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you,I will come again, and receive you unto Myself;  that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3).  This is His promise to everyone who comes to Him as a sinner and accepts Him as their very own Saviour.

Have you accepted His invitaion?

Love you all - grandpa