A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I might not be sharing photographs of spider web threads for a while (see "Shifting sun" post from 31 July 2017). However, I searched a different spot in the backyard this morning and I found a nice orb web with the sun hitting it just right in a few places.
I continue to puzzle over these dramatic colors. And I've been wondering — as the angle of the sun shifts with the seasons, will the colors in the spider web strands change?
Perhaps not, but it will be fun to explore.
4 comments:
I like the cylinder at the top of the 1st photo and the larger circle at the top of the 2nd picture. I wonder what that's all about.
Carol
Oh joy! was happy to see these new thread images!
Alexandra
Hi, Carol! I'll admit, the shapes within these strands drive me a little crazy -- because I can't figure out what causes them. The short rods that are rounded at both ends are the most common. And you're noticing something that I've also been wondering about. It seems like there are shapes within shapes -- i.e., the rods often appear to be within the outline of the straight-edged strand. And sometimes you can see larger circles that seem to represent the outline of the strand.
We've wondered if the rods are related to either the structure of the silk...or the movement of the strand. For example, could the shape be caused by more movement in one place relative to another?
If anyone has thoughts about what might cause these shapes, I'd be interested!
:) Jackie
I just submitted the question to http://www.physicscentral.com/experiment/askaphysicist/index.cfm
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