The state did this prescribed burn of my barrens (similar to a prairie) on March 3. They burned the whole barrens, into the woods and down to the creek. The barrens soon started greening with a warm winter of confused seasons. It may look harsh but it will be a thing of beauty in no time. Grasses will be taller, flowers will bloom in profusion, unless there’s a drought.
The sprouting barrens really show cased the webs of funnel weaver spiders. Buffy and I walked on into the woods, down to the creek and up the hill. Walking toward the sun really highlighted all the webs. (I counted 36 webs when I had the picture enlarged on the computer back at home.)
Funnel weaver spiders are also called “grass spiders.” They build their webs close to the ground and hide in the mough of the opening. The web’s not sticky. It causes a vibration when an insect, spider or other creature crosses the wide part of the web. The spider feels the vibrations and rushes out to grab its prey. The spiders have 8 legs and 2 body parts (cephalothorax and abdomen). They have pairs of eyes, hairy body and legs, and body length to about 1 inch.
Funnel weaver spider web
naturesnippets 