Cobwebs

I’m ashamed to say that I’ve just looked up and there is a spider’s web above my head! I shall be getting my feather duster out tomorrow! I wondered what the difference is between a cobweb and a spider’s web… well, although some people say that a cobweb is an abandoned spider’s web, cob comes from cop which comes from coppe which is Middle English for spider!

Millions and millions of years ago, spiders were sea creatures, and when they moved onto dry land they, like other insects, made silk to protect their eggs… spider’s however, developed silk-making into an art form. They are very good at it because they have been doing it for about 100,000,000 years. Spider silk is amazingly strong and very stretchy… I guess over the years people have tried to use spider’s silk, but I have never heard of it being successful, except in the olden days when webs were used on wounds, to stop the bleeding and help the healing.

Spider’s webs are so beautiful in construction, especially out doors, and even more especially when they have dew or rain upon them. There are different types of webs too, which I didn’t realise I knew until I thought about the different webs I have seen:

• Spiral orb webs
• Tangle webs
• Funnel webs
• Tubular webs
• Sheet webs

In thinking about spider’s webs I remembered the saying about going for a walk to clear the cobwebs… Perhaps I should do that tomorrow to try and make progress on my story!