Lady Slippers and Strange Spider Webs

[SteveA]

The Lady Slippers are back! This year we have 9, last year we had 13. "She Who Must Be Obeyed" took these today.

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Anyone have any idea on these spiders. The entire ground just off the back of our property is covered with these webs. there are hundreds of individual webs. Each web has a tunnel in the center... and a resident spider.:eek:

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[pam.in.ny]

The photos of the Lady Slippers are beautiful. However, the spiders, I am not a fan of them :look: and can't help you identify them.

[Lakesrider]

Well you were close. I believe they are called funnel web spiders. I get them too. You can really get a great picture of them on a misty day. or a good morning dew day.

BTW...Spiders creep me out and I scream like a little girl when I find one on my bed. :rolleye2::laugh:

Nice pictures as well. You must have poor soil near you.....very rare to see them from what I have read on them.

[Pepper]

The photos of the Lady Slippers are wonderful! :D

The photos of the Spider webs are great, too, but very creepy!! :eek:

[ApS]

As to pink lady slippers, we have a half-dozen or more each year. This year, I've noticed some kind of small purple orchid-like flower among them. The soil is of poor quality, but is good enough to grow a few pine trees that two adults can't encircle to touch fingertips.

I believe they are called funnel web spiders. I get them too. You can really get a great picture of them on a misty day. or a good morning dew day.

At our place, those spiderwebs fully cover half of our acre. When morning dew is around, each web lights up brightly. :) It's quite the sight—and they're harmless.

But wouldn't you rather have your area a big, green, lawn of grassy species, instead of your property going to natural woodlands? :D

"British arachnologists have estimated populations ranging from 11,000 spiders per acre in woodlands to more than 2 1/2 million individuals in a grassland acre."
http://rqkmk2k3.itgo.com/webbb/freeinf799.html

What's in your lawn mower bag? :eek2:

[Argie's Wife]

I googled the spider webs and came up with Funnel Web Spiders - yeah, not too scientific, but it makes sense.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=funnel+web+spiders&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#sclient=psy&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&source=hp&q=funnel+web+spiders+nh&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=98e85b9d58f5e006&biw=1413&bih=703

[SteveA]

I'm counting 16 new Lady Slippers for 2012. Took these with some wonderful early morning natural light this morning. They are the first two to open completely.


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[SIKSUKR]

I've always loved lady slippers but there is something just..ah..well..ah.If you have seen the Marie Romano statue episode on Everybody Loves Raymond you'll know what I mean.:eek:

[NickNH]

The purple flowers look like Wild Violets.....we have them everywhere...their seed pods fling the seeds everywhere so they can pop up where least expected....

[SteveA]

I've always loved lady slippers but there is something just..ah..well..ah.If you have seen the Marie Romano statue episode on Everybody Loves Raymond you'll know what I mean.:eek:

Humm... I missed that one... but I did just find it on YouTube. Very funny!

[ApS]

Anyone have any idea on these spiders. The entire ground just off the back of our property is covered with these webs. there are hundreds of individual webs. Each web has a tunnel in the center... and a resident spider.:eek:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4948



They've turned up on our dock, using a dock line for a "web anchor".