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