Zipper spiders: the circle of life in Islip
A zipper spider zips her web in reader Martha Simpson's Islip yard. Credit: Handout
Dear Jessica:
A few weeks ago you published a picture of a zipper spider from one of your readers. A zipper spider was living in my garden a few years ago. When we got up one morning the following June, we got a surprise: baby zippers! The sac had been put in a sheltered corner near our garage and front porch.
There were hundreds of babies. When we got home from work one day, all the babies were gone. We haven't seen a zipper spider since, but I look every year!
The adult spider picture was taken the summer before we discovered the babies. She just hung out in the same spot in the garden all summer. She was smart enough to find a sheltered area for the babies. People think I'm nuts because I take pictures of the creatures in my yard. You never know what you'll find crawling around up close and personal! -- Martha Simpson, Islip
Dear Martha: I don't think you're nuts at all. In fact, I wish more people would be as tuned in to all the cool things nature provides for us right under our noses. Thanks for sharing your photos; they're awesome! Do let me know if you spy any of those babies' descendants!
