Spiderlandia

Every September, spiders and spider webs are everywhere to be seen.  Spiders are busy casting webs, catching prey, paralyzing and liquifying them, mating and laying eggs.

On a recent foggy morning, the spiders' night's work was astonishing, with webs of all different sizes, shapes and configurations. This site explains and shows how a web is created:
http://www.spiderzrule.com/spiderweb.htm

Here are some Orb weavers and their amazing, intricate webs:

and Sheet web spiders, including Platform spiders at a greater number than I have ever seen before in the last several years. Within a greater complex of webbing, there is a platform that looks like a parachute.

Here is prey wrapped in silk with the spider located right under it:

Here is another orb weaver in a Sweetgum tree processing its prey:

This article explains clearly the process of the spider injecting its prey with venom, wrapping it in silk and then liquifying: http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/insects-arachnids/spider7.htm

According to recent research, spiders can learn how to catch prey more effectively. See articles:
http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/9/4/20130052.short
http://www.livescience.com/34775-spiders-learn-snag-prey.html

Here is a Penn State publication on Spider ID in PA: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/uf019.pdf

In search for more information about spiders, I found these interesting and informative blogs:
http://bugeric.blogspot.com/
http://www.spiderzrule.com/