And I think, though am open to correction, that this may be a clutch of Orbweb Spider's eggs which had been laid on the rubber of the ranch slider. Unfortunately it had to be removed because if they had hatched when the slider was open they would have hatched into The Cottage. [This paragraph is incorrect - see comments]
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Ooooooh GB, I don't like spiders and certainly not in close up.
ReplyDeleteClose ups of cats are quite acceptable however.
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Wonderful shots.........Of whatever it is. The garden Orb has a white cross. Perhaps it is a Kiwi native.
ReplyDeleteOh no, not more spiders. You should give warning! Er... I suppose the title might have been one...
ReplyDeleteOh, what fascinating pictures. I didn't know spiders eggs looked like that, almost like a honeycomb. I'm told the spiders in NZ can be poisonous. It makes me think you must need the eyes of a particular observant hawk to notice potential threats like spiders eggs which might hatch in the cottage!
ReplyDeleteAccording to my book on NZ Spiders this was thought originally to be an Australian spider. There's no white cross on the pictures and it's now in its typical daytime resting position with 'knees' drawn up. I'm reasonably certain it's a Garden Orbweb now.
ReplyDeleteHowever now that it is daytime and I'm more awake I have found what I think is the egg sac of the spider.
I've had another look at the photos of what I said was the egg sac and I think it may in fact be a nest of a mason wasp. CJ - anyone - HELP!
Oh, good Lord! Spiders AND wasps??? Hello summer. CLOSE THAT DOOR! Cool photos of the spider though. as long as it's in your backyard! Ha!
ReplyDeleteSorry GB - it's not something I recognise but a Mason Wasp's nest is certainly a possibility.
ReplyDeleteAh well, thanks CJ. I'm sure I'll find someone who knows.
ReplyDeleteJenny. There are very few poisonous things at all in New Zealand. There is a White-tailed Spider which is common and can give a nasty bite if provoked and people have blamed it for various things - mainly necrotic ulcers - but there is nothing in the venom to support that and a survey of children bitten where the spider could positively be identified showed not a single instance. The 'official' line appears to be that whilst it's a good idea to avoid being bitten by spiders there's no evidence to suggest that they are dangerous. Now if you lived in Australia!!
oh no!! Yeuch!
ReplyDeleteI can concede the miraculous beauty. But have been twitching and itching since I looked! lol.
It's a mantis egg-case. One of the non-native mantises: (Miomantis caffra) an import from South Africa that is rapidly displacing the native specie.
ReplyDeleteThanks Katherine. I've shown photos before of a hugely pregnant female praying mantis but that's one helluvalot of eggs. That's another of life's minor mysteries solved! Hopefully I'll log it away in my brian.
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