Friday, October 18, 2024

A wonder and a word for it

 Driving down a road north of Panola Mountain, I noticed light glinting from spiderwebs spun between two powerlines. The webs appeared to be continuous for almost a half mile.

I already was convinced that Georgia provides better habitat for spiders than Texas. In my mind, there’s no question: Georgia has more spiders, more webs.

But the sight impressed me. I checked Macfarlane, to see if he had a word for it. This word’s from Devon:

 

glossamer — shining filaments spun across huge areas of landscape by small spiders in autumn, usually perceptible only near dawn or dusk when the light is slant.

 

• Source: Robert Macfarlane, Landmarks; London: Penguin Books, 2016, p. 362.

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