2008 Nephila Clavata--Spider colony pics from my university campus

On a fall day in September I decided to walk around my university's campus grounds . . .
And then I noticed something . . . something big, kind of scary, and . . . COOL!
In another post of mine Brian from Jeollanamdo wrote a comment,

"I'm petrified of insects and I find those spiders horribly disgusting. It was bad enough when I saw one while walking around . . . then I discovered they lived in groups, and I still shudder to this day when I think of that. They're "nephila clavata": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephila_clavata I took the picture there from South Korea. Horrible."

Sorry Brian, I LOVE taking pics of these spiders. I think the colors are awesome. I also like the textures and lines of their form.

From wikipedia.com,

"Nephila clavata, also known as Jorō spider (in Japanese: ジョロウグモ / Jorō-gumo), is a member of golden orb-web spider. The spider can be found throughout Japan except Hokkaidō, in Korea, Taiwan and China. Due to the large size as well as the bright, unique colors of the species of the female Nephila, the spider is well-favored in Japan . . ."

" . . . Nephila clavata pass winter as eggs and scatter as tiny larvae in the spring. The female's body size is 17-25 mm, while the male's is 7-10 mm. . ." (wikipedia.com).

" . . . The adult female individual has stripes of yellow and dark blur blue, and adds red around the spinneret . . ." (wikipedia.com).

I find myself imagining what it must be like for Korean soldiers when they're on exercises in the forests and on the mountainsides of Korea . . . at NIGHT, when they can't SEE very well . . . imagine walking into a colony web of these spiders--ugh!

Closeup time . . . hehehe.

"In autumn, smaller male(s) come into the female's web for copulating . . ." (from wikipedia.com). If you look at the top right space in the background . . . yep, somebody's coming--no pun intended, lol.

I love the patterns that are on the body . . .

Dinner time . . .

I like the kind of vertigo-effect (vertigo: "a dizzying sensation of tilting within stable surroundings or of being in tilting or spinning surroundings.") that I captured in this photo . . . I like the browns and greens that contrast with the spider's colors in this shot. The wikipedia entry points out that the web's "yellow threads appear rich gold in sunlight."

Silhouette's are neat . . . I also like the silk lines of the web and how they glisten here.I found another massive spider web in front of the university's administration building . . .

I think the colors are fantastic . . .

"The web of female Nephila can reach one meter in width; the yellow threads appear rich gold in sunlight. The adult female individual has stripes of yellow and dark blur blue, and adds red around the spinneret. In autumn, smaller male(s) come into the female's web for copulating. After mating the female spins an egg sack on a tree, laying 400 - 1500 eggs in one sack. The spiders' life cycle ends by late autumn or early winter." (from wikipedia.com, my italics, my bold)

The web of female Nephila can reach one meter in width

Seriously . . . wow.

"Researchers at Shinshu University, Japan have succeeded in creating a silk thread that is stronger, softer and more durable than conventional silk by genetically modifying silkworms with Nephilia drag line genes. A Japanese manufacturer is already experimenting with the thread, and spider socks^[1], stockings and even fishing lines are expected to appear on the market within a few years." (from wikipedia.com)

I don't know if I can get better closeups with the lens I have for my Canon . . . but I'm gonna try!
Lol . . . I'll make sure I send Brian all links to future photos! Hehehehe . . .

J