Got the opportunity to be part of this year's Team Saaliga Spider meet at Indraprastha, Mysore. Team Saaliga has been doing some great work in spreading awareness about spiders.
Wriggled out of Bangalore to reach just past lunch time. Was amazed to see myself surrounded by lots of shrubs (and definitely not by chance, this is a result of decades of intent and proper execution). Entering the gates and gazing around I could notice something almost on every single plant/leaf. That was just a trailer, so to speak, of the biodiversity we would feast our eyes on later at night.
A heady mix of researchers, nature lovers - we were in for some great learnings. And for me, personally, not having to feel as a misfit :D
Quick welcome session and introductions set the tone for the highly interactive talks on Spiders. Anatomy, behavior, hunting and breeding strategies discussed in detail, with some great visuals. With new found knowledge, we were all set to observe better in the field. Some lipsmacking snacks followed the official release of Team Saaliga logo by the Mysore DC.
Spilt into two teams, we set out to explore. We wanted to explore and cover a lot of area, but the rich density of life ensured we were moving at a snail's pace. Almost every plant giving something to observe.
We started with this Crab spider (Thomisidae) blending in perfectly on a flowery branch
The Social behavior of the Chikunia spider, multiple spiders with their spiderlings in close proximity
Cellar spiders in plenty, many of them holding onto their eggs bundles
Most corners/gaps between leaves were taken up by Orb weavers
Wrapping up freshly caught prey with silk from it's spinnerets
Signature spiders were found in plenty too, owing to the abundance in prey the relative size of almost all spiders we found were LARGE!
Some pretty flowers around!
Dandelion, looking like a bursting firework
A hunstman lying in wait to ambush anything that gets close
A beautiful Dartlet
Palm dart
Mating moths
Freshly moulted cockroach
Weaver ants tending to scale insects
A funny looking Derbid planthopper
The wing shape is unique and fascinating!
Long legged fly
Cricket nymph
Resting honeybee
A few more fascinating spiders
Long jawed spider, Tetragnathidae
Sac spider
Wolf spider
The devil! Portia sp
The Mirror spider, Thwaitesia sp. Couldn't manage a side-on image showing the "mirror"
This beautiful Crab spider
Comes in white too!
The striking Hamadruas
Brettus juvenile
Perfect moult of a Huntsman
If you're a thirsty bee/fly, there's no way you'd notice that camouflage. In fact Sumukha mentioned the UV emission from the spider attracts the bee/fly closer
Tree trunk spider, Herennia female
Two striped jumping spider, Telamonia female.
Some images to showcase how effective and critical spiders are as pest control, maintatining the delicate balance in the ecosystem
Crab spider, with honeybee kill
Parawixia with grasshopper
Rhene feasting on Chironomidae
Indraprastha is the brainchild of Mr.Chandrashekar, having taken up Organic farming and put it into perfect practice - the place truly is a rich biodiversity hotspot. Species covered here are a miniscule subset. The team was able to identify 81 species of spiders.
The hospitality and great food from Team Saaliga and the APC family was amazing to experience :) Thank you for opening the gates and our eyes to the wondrous world at Indraprastha!
Cheers!
Hayath
Wriggled out of Bangalore to reach just past lunch time. Was amazed to see myself surrounded by lots of shrubs (and definitely not by chance, this is a result of decades of intent and proper execution). Entering the gates and gazing around I could notice something almost on every single plant/leaf. That was just a trailer, so to speak, of the biodiversity we would feast our eyes on later at night.
A heady mix of researchers, nature lovers - we were in for some great learnings. And for me, personally, not having to feel as a misfit :D
Quick welcome session and introductions set the tone for the highly interactive talks on Spiders. Anatomy, behavior, hunting and breeding strategies discussed in detail, with some great visuals. With new found knowledge, we were all set to observe better in the field. Some lipsmacking snacks followed the official release of Team Saaliga logo by the Mysore DC.
Spilt into two teams, we set out to explore. We wanted to explore and cover a lot of area, but the rich density of life ensured we were moving at a snail's pace. Almost every plant giving something to observe.
We started with this Crab spider (Thomisidae) blending in perfectly on a flowery branch
The Social behavior of the Chikunia spider, multiple spiders with their spiderlings in close proximity
Cellar spiders in plenty, many of them holding onto their eggs bundles
Most corners/gaps between leaves were taken up by Orb weavers
Wrapping up freshly caught prey with silk from it's spinnerets
Signature spiders were found in plenty too, owing to the abundance in prey the relative size of almost all spiders we found were LARGE!
Some pretty flowers around!
Dandelion, looking like a bursting firework
A hunstman lying in wait to ambush anything that gets close
A beautiful Dartlet
Palm dart
Mating moths
Freshly moulted cockroach
Weaver ants tending to scale insects
A funny looking Derbid planthopper
The wing shape is unique and fascinating!
Long legged fly
Cricket nymph
Resting honeybee
A few more fascinating spiders
Long jawed spider, Tetragnathidae
Sac spider
Wolf spider
The devil! Portia sp
The Mirror spider, Thwaitesia sp. Couldn't manage a side-on image showing the "mirror"
This beautiful Crab spider
Comes in white too!
The striking Hamadruas
Brettus juvenile
Perfect moult of a Huntsman
If you're a thirsty bee/fly, there's no way you'd notice that camouflage. In fact Sumukha mentioned the UV emission from the spider attracts the bee/fly closer
Tree trunk spider, Herennia female
Two striped jumping spider, Telamonia female.
Some images to showcase how effective and critical spiders are as pest control, maintatining the delicate balance in the ecosystem
Crab spider, with honeybee kill
Parawixia with grasshopper
Rhene feasting on Chironomidae
Indraprastha is the brainchild of Mr.Chandrashekar, having taken up Organic farming and put it into perfect practice - the place truly is a rich biodiversity hotspot. Species covered here are a miniscule subset. The team was able to identify 81 species of spiders.
The hospitality and great food from Team Saaliga and the APC family was amazing to experience :) Thank you for opening the gates and our eyes to the wondrous world at Indraprastha!
Cheers!
Hayath
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