Adventure at my feet

I went for an afternoon walk at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary yesterday. With binoculars and camera in tow, I looked at a pair of American Kestrels, a handful of Song Sparrows, and photographed a myriad of dried flowers. While walking through the vegetation, a flurry of movement at knee level caught my eye. I knelt down to find a Banded Argiope (Argiope trifasciata) wrapping up a grasshopper in her web.

Banded Argiope and prey

Mesmerized, I watched her for several minutes rotate around the grasshopper, leaving silk in her wake.

Spider wrapping grasshopper. Note the spider's spinnerets.

Spider silk is a protein produced in liquid form by special glands within the abdomen. The silk leaves the body through the spinnerets located at the end of the spider's abdomen. Once the silk leaves the body, it is transformed into dry fibers. Spiders can can manipulate the thickness, strength, and elasticity of their silk.

The Banded Argiope is a member of the Orb Weaver Family Araneidae and can be found throughout Missouri in tall grasslands and open areas with sparse brush.

You never know what you'll find during a walk in the park. I felt lucky to have this encounter with nature.