The Spider and the Fly: 2

Most flies that find their way into our house end up in one particular window, which is the highest and brighest in the house, so it's not surprising that canny spiders tend to set up their snares there too. Some titanic battles take place, where the flies almost always come off worst - I posted one here a while ago. Here's another. The striking aspect of this one was the size difference between predator and prey.

Initially the fly was caught in only a few of the spider's loosely-woven threads and when the spider abseiled down it was a bit circumspect about engaging with the struggling fly, that might still have flown off with the spider attached to it.

Eventually it subdued the fly with enough threads, then spent some time cutting it free of the windowledge, before ....

... dragging it away into the corner of the window...

... and tucking into a meal that will last it quite a while..

Skipton Woods

We recently paid a visit to Skipton Woods - which are well worth exploring if you are in that part of North Yorkshire. It's just five minutes walk from Skipton High Street and to find it you need to walk down the steps near the castle, by the little canal known as the Spring Branch, that used to connect the limestone quarries to the Leeds-Liverpool canal.

On the way to the woods you pass the old Corn Mill, still with intact waterwheel.

 

Looking back along the main path through the woods, with the Eller Beck down on the left and the so-called Long Dam - a sort of long, shallow pond, on the right. The woods are managed by the Woodland Trust - click for details.

 

After a few minutes walk you come to the Round Dam, a more-or-less circular lake that has a resident heron that's something of a local celebrity, that already features on YouTube and on Facebook.

 Here he (or she) is, in profile.....

... and head on. I hadn't realised until I looked closely at this photo (double-click) that herons are cross-eyed.

A little further on, upstream of the round dam. Hard to believe that this is just a few mintes walk from a busy shopping street...

.... and this is the most picturesque bit, where the Eller Beck tumbles over rock ledges in this little gorge.

 

There are various possible circular walks, but this one takes you back into town, via this very attractive path that runs alongside moss-covered walls.

 

It's only a short walk but I'd recommend taking a pork pie or two with you from this fantastic butchers, near the start of the walk,  that makes the Supreme Champion Great Northern Pork Pie. To my taste buds, they're just about perfection. Their sausages are also legendary...

Harvestman

It isn't until you watch a harvestman walking aross a rough surface - like this pebbledashed wall of a house - that you realise how practical those lanky legs are. Anything with short legs with a body close to the ground would have to negotiate every pebble, but a harvestman can stride aross this rocky terrain with no impediment.

It's interesting to contemplate what the view must be like from those two eyes, mounted on the turret on the animal's back, that give all-round vision. It must be much like the view of a tower crane driver I guess, exception that eight knees substitute for the single crane jib.

I think this might be Leiobunum rotundum........(?)

You can find more on harvestmen here