The quality of the photo is not technically brilliant (taken on my phone) in strong contrasty sunshine. You may be puzzling, so here’s the reveal… It is a spider crèche.
Marvellous construction: the spider has wrapped three rose leaves with layers of web-silk, thus protecting the interior space where she laid her eggs. That’s the creamy-white blob centre right. Concealed within that silken shell are hundreds of spiderlings, and when you watch closely they run around reacting to the risk level. Quite fascinating!
Mrs Spider can venture beyond the crèche to hunt, but it would take a very determined predator to try and snatch the diddy spiders. They are left safe to play (if spiderlings do that?) and exercise; and one day soon they will have to venture out into the big bad world.
Light reflections from the web make the photo like a detail by one of the Impressionist artists- perhaps Monet with a hangover, or a light-study by J.M.W. Turner.
Some of will by now be squeaking “Eeeek!” or “Ew” because spiders are not top of the favourites list. That’s not fair! Spiders are a vital partner for civilized life, controlling the population of flies and nasty wee beasties & bugs. Few spiders are seriously venomous- in Britain anyway! (Sorry to the Land Down Under.)
Yet there is a strong instinct of aversion. Not many people enjoy handling spiders, especially the big hairy ones with bad attitudes. Most of us will have experienced the impromptu Early Morning Spasm Dance: heading off to work or school, only to find an invisible sticky barrier across the path which gets on your eyes, hair, and nerves. Aha, Interpretative Dance is alive and well. Stick that in your pipe, Michael Flatley. Irish spiders must be terrible.
Even spiders have parenting instincts (though I doubt if they name their offspring- “Alan 14,009” has a certain ring of doom).
Life is to be treasured. Even insects and arachnids! Especially in their crèche.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” – Psalm 103:2
The Reflectionary 