Even Spiders Do It Bigger in Texas

A sprawling mass of cobwebs covering a 200-yard area in a Texas state park has officials and experts buzzing.  According to Donna Garde, superintendent of the Lake Tawakoni State Park about 40 miles from Dallas, the webbing was found just recently and has become a main attraction for some, while others refuse to go anywhere near it.  She is hoping that some experts come to view it, but none have so far.

According to one entomologist, the web may have been created by social cobweb spiders or mass dispersal in which spiders spin webs to distance themselves from one another.   He also notes that while many people are unaware of it, this is not exactly unusual -- rare, but not unheard of.   John Jackman, author of the book, A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of Texas and entymologist for Texas A&M, says he hears such reports about once every few years.

© C Harris Lynn, 2007-2008