Saturday 10 May 2014

Carlton Marshes ... Spiders and Fluff



The fluffy thing above is a mystery is to me. Is it a moth cocoon? We saw it on Monday at Carlton Marshes. I feel I have seen this sort of thing before, but may be thinking of a kind of feather or the fluff from Rosebay Willowherb! Do please let me know if you have an idea ...

© David Gill 2014

The web contraptions in the pictures above and below definitely marked a couple of spiders' lairs.




Carlton Marshes is one of only a very few sites in the UK where you can find Fen Raft Spiders. I have not been lucky yet, but one of these days we hope to see one. Meanwhile I shall enjoy their blog ... here!

6 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

Lovely photos, i don't know what the unknown fluff is

Hope you find the fen raft spiders!

Unknown said...

Great photos, Caroline! I do like spiders having a web site ;-)

Naquillity said...

such intricate weavings for the spider's home. i wonder how long it must take for a spider to weave like that? the first picture does resemble a cocoon, i think, but don't hold me to that... hope all is well your way~

Andrea said...

Hello Caroline, how are you, long time no hear! There was one time when i was also intrigued by some fluffy things on our plants, and i resorted to posting it in some groups in FB to give me some leads. Fortunately, someone sait they are nymps of planthoppers. We have very different climate so i am sure yours is much different than mine.

Then after sometime, i saw this hairy white caterpillar which looks like an unwovern fabric or wool. I posted it again and turned out to be a wooly larva but references are so little, so am still unsure of it. Hope you will eventually unfurl the mystery of your find.

Anonymous said...

Looks to me like there is the spine of a feather showing down the middle - a very fluffy feather though.

Em Parkinson said...

No idea about the fluffy thing beyond your suggestions. Lovely photos though!