I tend to think of insects as simple creatures. Single-minded, like an ant scurrying over a huge obstacle because that’s where the trail goes and the idea of taking an easier path around isn’t there. Instinctive, like that fight or flight response that kicks in when faced with danger.
But I may need to rethink that. Maybe they’re not as simple as I think they are.
There’s a spider that lives on my back patio. I haven’t gotten close enough to see what kind it is, or even what color. It’s just a spider. Not too big, but big enough that I can see him or her perched on the web.
And it’s a smart spider.
On the first day we met the spider, it had built a web overnight. A big web that stretched across the front of the patio — at least eight feet wide, I think. Ambitious little guy! But on our first walk of the day, the dogs and I plowed right through it before we realized what was happening.
The next morning, the spider had rebuilt the web. This time, however, it was at an angle. The support strands were high enough up that the dogs and I could pass underneath without disrupting the web. That’s a pretty smart spider!
Our smarty pants spider is still living on the patio. He keeps his web above head-height and can feast on all the bugs he wants. Moose, Lally, and I can pass underneath comfortably when we go out for walks. And this way, everybody’s happy… and nobody gets bitten!
I’m pretty impressed at how quickly the spider figured out a solution to the problem. It probably could have kept putting webs across the patio and we probably would have kept walking through them. There are other spiders in the area who build their webs in the same place every time. So what makes this one different? Any theories?