Next were a couple of Virginia Creepers. After much thought I had decided these would look good climbing over the large stump left over from felling the Leylandii in the bottom corner of the garden:
While I was doing that I noticed that many of the crevices in the stump were full of old damp needles so I set about cleaning many of them out as they would cause the stump to start rotting. It was while doing that I noticed what appeared to be a round hole which at first reminded me of a mouse hole. It looked about the right size:
Closer examination showed me that there was a spider's web at the entrance:
with a flat sheet at the bottom:
Looking even more closely I could see the whole hole and tunnel were part of the web:
After a bit of thought and research I have come to the conclusion it is the web of a labyrinth spider.
Apparently they can be quite deep. Built by the female spider the eggs are hung from the roof deep inside the labyrinth of tunnels.
I do like Chinese Lanterns - they look so lovely in a vase when dried. So interesting to read about the labyrinth spider and see the photos.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely intriguing John all those photos of what does indeed appear to me the next of a labyrinth spider.
ReplyDeleteI love Chinese lanterns too and seeing that healthy pot plant has made me add it to my list of things which would look good in my border.