Jonathan Spencer's Tales of Ordinary Wisdom
Politics, Poetry, Psychology, Rants and Recipes
The Spider in your wing mirror
Have you ever noticed the spider in your wing mirror? Spiders are the most adaptable and predatory of creatures, so its now surprise to find them in or on your car. They can have only been there for the last 20 years since the wing mirror became an adjustable item inside a large metal and plastic casing.
It would seem from my observations that the spider builds its web across the glass from one edge of the casing to the mirrors attachment to the car, during journeys in moves behind the mirror for protection and comes out and rebuilds its web once the car is stopped. Which was the first spider to do this, I have looked now at hundreds of cars, kept in garages on drives and in the street and they all have spiders in the wing mirror! Which was the first spider to follow this path. I imagine the advantages are the reflected light of the mirror and also the illusion of continued space. This would make the mirror an attraction to insects and food for the spider.
John Wyndhams last novel ( I believe only in manuscript form when he died) is about spiders. It makes many claims which I have yet to verify but certainly points out what amazing creatures they are.
The Spider in the wing mirror must often have to rebuild its web and this means it must get a good cost benefit ratio from living in the wing mirror, does any other spider have to rebuild its web this much, or am I making a mistake? Could it be that my sightings are all on parked vehicles, maybe this spider is there becuase many of our cars spend more and more time stationary?
Technorati Tags: car, mirror, Spider
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2 Responses to “The Spider in your wing mirror”
My life has evolved toward the poetry and meaning of things like this. I woke up dreaming about an egyptian Mirrorium and having synchs lately with spiders also I somehow found this Post. Speaking of synchronicity I am Paul Spence and my brother’s name is John Spence. Anyway. the spider in my reality is as the Rumi poem.
We are both the Spider and the Fly imprisoned in our own web
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l6az44ns30
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I too am facinated by wing mirror spiders. Are they an evolved species? There are many reasons why this would make sense. Spiders in gardens are under threat. Housewives knock their webs down with sticks to hang out the washing so WMS (wingus mirrorum spiderfluous)must build webs in remote areas where insects don’t go. WMS knows that if the insect refuses to come to the web then the web will go to the insect. A moving web positioned just behind the windscreen of a speeding car is bound to catch insects sliding and ready mashed down the side of the car. WMS also likes regular meals and so prefers commuter cars who dash down the motorway each morning. On arrival WMS emerges from behind the mirror to gorge on the mornings fayre. Each morning I have to reverse out and so when the dew covers the old web I can not see through the wing mirror and sadly have to remove the web. On a recent dash down the A2 at 70 MPH I witnessed WMS clinging on for dear life trying to attach a thread to the window frame of the door. Very distracting. A passing juggernaut created an intolerable back draught and WMS left the building sic! I am waiting for new tenants to move in. Beware of the basking spider whose evolution is beginning to replace WMS – this species has developed enormour jaws which remain open constantly, a stronger grip and builds no web. It just sits on the top of the wing mirror facing forwardmouth open waiting for you to drive it to a constant flow of airborne insects. JRS
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