Charlotte's Web - WEBS in the MORNING DEW

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife provides this image of a spider web covered with morning dew. It is online via USFW.

While shimmering webs are beautiful for humans to see, the dew is indispensable for the web's creator. Experts believe that a spider can replace at least ten percent of the water it needs just by drinking the droplets which have settled on its web.

The best way to view a spider's artistry is before the sun dries the dew:

• How can a spider create such a perfectly symmetrical piece of work?

• Without the dew, we could not see the web so clearly.

• Near a cow pasture, a spider was very busy during the night.

• Water droplets look like jewels on a large web.

• How long does it take to weave a web of intricate beauty?

• Can such a large web last long?

• When a web hangs from a tree, the dew makes it seem magical.

With a web in place, the spider is now ready to catch its food. What—and how—does it eat?