Massive spider web

A spider web was discovered that drapes 200 yards of trees, shrubs, and the ground across a trail in Texas's Lake Tawakoni State Park. Experts haven't yet determined the species of spider responsible. From the Associated Press:

"At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas. "Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."

Spider experts say the web may have been constructed by social cobweb spiders, which work together, or could be the result of a mass dispersal in which the arachnids spin webs to spread out from one another.

Link

Previously on BB:
• Engineered spider web Link

• [makenai]

  Here’s a googled photo:

  http://startelegram.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/08/29/12114802_h12780903_2.jpg

• [Anonymous]

  http://media.star-telegram.com/Multimedia/News/Photos/Bigweb.jpg

  Big pic

• [Flying Squid]

  Thanks, MakenAI!

• [okkoto]

  that’s horror movie material

• [Anonymous]

  Mirkwood!

• [Anonymous]

  #4: it’s already a classic of British SF. John Wyndham’s last novel, Web, was about spiders capable of co-ordinated action.

• [lanris]

  I was immediately reminded of a story I saw recently: http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/animals/millions_of_tiny_spiders.htm

• [Anonymous]

  Here’s one from Mike Quinn’s site, he’s an entomologist quoted in the Yahoo story:
  http://www.texasento.net/Social_Sp_lrg.jpg

• [Anonymous]

  That totally rules. Go nature!

• [librarianishish]

  Reminds me of this Swedish invasion, by Bird-cherry Ermine moths. Now this is horror movie material:

  http://user.it.uu.se/~svens/larverna/normal.html

  Beware, not safe for dinner-pictures!

  More ’bout the caterpillars:

  http://user.it.uu.se/~svens/larverna/about.html

• [Anonymous]

  Here’s more info–and photos:

  http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/the-spiders-that-ate-texas/

• [Anonymous]

  I wonder what kind of spiders they are..

• [Flying Squid]

  What? No photos? How can they report on something this cool sounding and not provide a picture or two?

• [Anonymous]

  Social cobweb spiders? So it really is Web 2.0.

  Of course I’m posting anonymously. You don’t think that I would admit to that do you?