Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Drama in the corners

And in this corner, a click beetle, so named because they make a “click” when they flip up into the air (it helps them turn over should they find themselves belly-up) and a spider. The battle, such as it was, lasted for most of a day. I could hear the haunting click from a neighboring room. Then the spider, having won, started drinking, and that lasted for most of a day, too. And then some two days later:This egg case was clearly fueled by all that click beetle juice. I assume that’s the male on the left, typically smaller when it comes to spiders.

I have to say, spiders are not to be emulated as good housekeepers. Once they’ve drained their prey, they have a husk of an exoskeleton remaining (try some shrimp shell). So they discard it, in this case into corners, window sills, etc.

mthew

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2 responses to “Drama in the corners”

  1. myra hope

    Took your cue and headed to Lookout Hill. Hadn’t seen a redstart for years….and there they were! Along with black and whites, a Tennessee and a vireo. I kept wanting someone to get a hold on a squawling toddler only to realize it was a juvenile redtail calling. Kept me company all morning. Thanks for the tip and getting me out!

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  2. Spiderlings « Backyard and Beyond

    […] Last month, I watched a spider feed heartily and then build a silken sac for her young. Two weeks ago, the young spiderlings emerged from the sac. And just sat there for several days. Then the mother spider disappeared. And a few days after that, all the little ones. In the outdoors, some young spiders disperse by ballooning, releasing threads of silk that catch the breeze. In our House of Spiders, they may to a little of this as well as motivate with their eight legs. Share this:StumbleUponDiggRedditTwitterLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. […]

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