As a child they were the stuff of nightmares. My spider sense still tingles, but no longer in fear
I remember having always kept my distance from Arachnids as a child. Quite often have tarantulas turned up in the toilet, and quite often have I persuaded my parents to smash them with a broom. A few have scampered over my body while I was asleep, and many have invaded my nightmares. But since I turned to photography and nature watching, I have made my peace with spiders, and yet retained my curiosity about them. Including those that intruded my personal space.
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| Spiders to most are justifiably creepy. They crawl, spin webs and drink their victims' juices... |
They were everywhere when we went out for a stroll in the forests of Dandeli two weeks ago. And all kinds of them. There were Giant Wood Spiders (Nephilia maculata) and the handsome Black Wood Spiders (Nephilia kuhili), and a couple of (suspected) Leucauge spiders, and several unidentified ones. Mostly, I enjoyed watching and photographing those amazing Giant and Black Wood Spiders, and here is what I saw.
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| Lady Blackwood? |
Giant Wood Spider enjoys the quiet of a misty morning
The Lady and her tramp (the tiny black speck to the right is Mr Giant Wood Spider). Talk about equality for women...
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| Possibly a Leucauge spider - can someone confirm? |
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| The underside of a Giant Wood Spider. Is the red funnel a vent? |
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| Another Leucauge spider performing a high wire walk |
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| Topsy turvy |
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| End of show. That's all, folks! |
