Walking through…
Spider webs.
Its one of those things, that although pretty harmless and generally more of an annoyance than any sort of drama, seems to stick with you (pardon the pun) for a much longer-lasting experience.
Living right next to a natural bush reserve, we see our fair share of wildlife, most of which is completely harmless. Of the arachnid family, we see mainly Huntsman Spiders, Cross Spiders, Wolf Spiders and the occasional Red Back or Funnel Web. Predominantly though - and on a more day-to-day basis, we see the good ol’ Garden Orb Weaving Spider variety.
The first time I ever touched a spider, I was about 7 or 8 and decided it would be a good idea - just as a point of interest - to see what they felt like. Why I did, or what I was expecting, I’m not sure - but as the Garden Orb Spinner walked over my hand, weaving its thick, sticky, rope-like web up my arm I decided I wasn’t too fussed on the direction it was headed.
What also didn’t factor into the equation was that the Garden Orb variety weave their web pretty much everywhere they go, so removing one from your arm isn’t an easy task. And flailing your arm not only does absolutely no good in getting it off whatsoever, it also increases the desire of the spider to move hastily to a more stable location. That being my upper torso.
I don’t completely remember the next few minutes, but I ended up in the middle of the backyard on my hands and knees, with an absolutely terrified Orb Spinner on the ground in front of me, struggling through the blades of grass trying desperately to find safety.
Ever since then, I’ve had an interest in the arachnid world which has extended to photography over time.
A prime example of the countless Orb Spinners we get around the house and in the garden.
Living in such an area, you get used to seeing the webs in pathways, under trees and somehow (ingeniously) networked to your car aerial in the morning. Some mornings after a heavy dew or rain, they are even spectacularly beautiful to see, especially when the main line spans the entire width of the driveway or the height of the house.
You look out for them, you look for the usual signs, you even walk slowly under trees and along pathways around the house as a precautionary measure, so you don’t find yourself tangled up with an arachnids dinner.
What you don’t do is take these precautionary measures when you are at someone else’s house. Which brings me to the point of this post.
Walking up the pathway to Kate’s house last night, I found myself suitably entangled in the all-too-familiar sticky rope of a typical Garden-Orb variety web.
This is nothing new - I’ve lost count the number of spider webs I’ve walked through in my lifetime - and even though the panic was lost after my first incident on the back lawn when I was around 7 or 8, the one thing that still remains is that skin-crawling sensation straight after. Like you haven’t just walked through a spider web; Rather fallen into a pit of live, active spiders..
You brush, you scratch and you look at your extremities, expecting to see the owner of said web crawling about. One time out of ten, you’ll find it and brush it off. The sensation will go and you continue with your business.
The other nine times out of the ten, you won’t find the culprit who missed the memo on not building webs in Human walkways - and your skin will continue to crawl and feel prickly for ages after.
I can just picture them sitting in the trees sometimes, watching as we madly brush ourselves off and peel web from our hair.
One thing is certain, our eight-legged friends always get the last laugh.
