Is it possible,
do you think,
to hear the breeze
pass through
the fine, silken threads
of a spider web?
If so,
what would it sound like?
Certainly there must be
some kind of vibration.
A very subtle tone.
A quiet music.
If only we could discern it.
© 2020 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
From the inside, follow the spiraling silk
around the circular architecture.
Notice the perfect spacing,
the radiating bands, tightening.
Some strands are sticky, some are not.
Concentric rings? No, not exactly.
The sculptor
of this amazing sculpture
produces liquid silk,
from silk-producing glands,
becoming solid in the air.
Spinnerets spin fine silk
only .15 microns in diameter.
The silk is strong, yet elastic.
Can stretch 30% to 40% before it breaks.
How long to achieve this geometric perfection?
Overnight? Several hours?
Do you find the spider industrious?
Are you impressed by the web's functionality?
Fascinated by scientific explanation?
Is all this intricacy necessary?
Do you still find it miraculous ?
© 2014 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - (Corkscrew) National Audubon Center,
Naples, (Naples) Florida (Florida)
2. Snake River, Oxbow Bend - Grand Teton National Park, (Teton) Wyoming (Wyoming)
micron:
Photo Location:
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Corkscrew) Audubon Center, Naples, (Naples) Florida (Florida)
Alligator Flag - Thalia geniculata
