Gippsland covered in spider webs

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Here's a picture Kate took on her way home on Tuesday.
1623991547_img_20210618_144458.jpg
 
What type of spider are they?... do they only do this after a big wet?... what are they doing between these events?
Must be gazzillions of em.. :awful:
Wouldnt want to pull up in the dark and walk into the bushes for a pee stop :poop:
 
OzzieAu said:
What type of spider are they?... do they only do this after a big wet?... what are they doing between these events?
Must be gazzillions of em.. :awful:
Wouldnt want to pull up in the dark and walk into the bushes for a pee stop :poop:

They're called sheet web spiders:
This is a surprisingly common phenomenon after floods. These are a group of spiders called sheet web spiders that spend their lives quietly catching a range of different insects from the ground layer, he told 7NEWS.com.au.

https://7news.com.au/news/animals/c...looding-in-victorias-east-gippsland-c-3114343

The area you can see covered in water is what's known locally as "The Morass" - it's part of the floodplain of the Thomson River which runs between Sale and the Esso Gas Plant at Longford.

The spiders normally live peaceful and unobtrusive lives in the Morass, but when the river floods.....well, it seems that they can't swim very well :)
 
Jaros said:
How would you be if you were in a swag and woke up to find yourself enclosed within one of the webs.
Not into spiders of any sort. :( :N:

Have you heard of Mouse Spiders, have dug up a few while detecting in the GT, they are huge.
At work in our annual first aid refresh course, the instructor mentioned them, said the bite is very painful and they
are a very dangerous spider. :eek: :eek: :eek: :skull:
 
Geehi said:

Geez that was a big flood, only learned of it last weekend chatting with locals at Seaspray.

After the 09/10 or 10/11 (can't remember) deluge in Victoria here at Broadford we had thousands/millions of webs floating in the wind covering pretty well everything, was a bit like the scene from Charlotte's Web (kid's flick)
 
Dihusky said:
That is stunning :inlove: when nature wants to express itself there is nothing more beautiful :clap: :clap: Thanks for capturing a little bit of nature Kate, lovely picture

That picture was taken beside the Princess Hwy just east of Sale, the webs extended for miles east, west, north and south. Your spot on with nature and all its beauty. We're a weird mob aren't we :lol: most will run a thousand miles at the sight of a spider yet we marvel at the splendour when presented with scenes like this.
 
The thing I find interesting is, if you look at Jaros' initial Twitter link, and the photo taken by Kate, and then compare both with the photos I took in 1978, you will notice that there seems to have been far more spider activity in the earlier floods.

Just wondering if something has happened in the ensuing 43 years that has reduced the spider population.

There have been local waterway contamination issues involving the the use of PFAS fire-fighting foam at both the Esso gas plant and the East Sale air base.
 
Geehi said:
The thing I find interesting is, if you look at Jaros' initial Twitter link, and the photo taken by Kate, and then compare both with the photos I took in 1978, you will notice that there seems to have been far more spider activity in the earlier floods.

Just wondering if something has happened in the ensuing 43 years that has reduced the spider population.

There have been local waterway contamination issues involving the the use of PFAS fire-fighting foam at both the Esso gas plant and the East Sale air base.

I have no doubt things have changed :| not just Gippsland. Obviously not caused by the humble prospecting small scale mining fraternity :D I like spiders but can't stand greenies, their very very dangerous and should be stood on as soon as you see them.
 

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