Duskies

Out here in the canyons of Calimesa, we have a name for the tarantulas that seem to turn up everywhere - Duskies. One of my neighbors found one crawling up his mobile home and took it to the local pet shop where they treated it like a pet and told him all about the Duskies. These giants don't really bite - they have some hairs on their bodies that have barbs and they can eject those into your skin.
Duskies drink water too. They need it like most other creatures. When my neighbor brought the Duskie home, he put it out by our fountain and he said that the Duskie got down by the water and drank a long drink.







As for qualities that all spiders have, they can each spin seven types of silk. Each is used for a different purpose. The silk is strong too - so strong that it has many uses in industry.
I have yet to find one up close and personal, even the ones that were put out by our fountain. Apparently they hide during the day mostly and come out to hunt in the dark of night. It is actually good to have them around, as is the case with many types of spiders, because they keep the overall insect population down.

There are many art forms that have been inspired by spider webs. One of the forms is spiderweb quilts. Here are some of my personal favorites. If you look at them hard enough, they will seem like the real thing. Remember too that if you want to see a larger view of a spiderweb quilt, you can click on the subject