And if you did, don’t click this link! And for God’s sake do NOT, under any circumstances, look at this picture!
I’m more fascinated than skeeved, and even I feel a little uncomfortable thinking about approaching it!
You know, I’m terrified of spiders and yet I’m strangely curious about things like this. Now I’m going to have nightmares about getting caught in there. shudder
Oh, sure. I note these so-called “experts” are clearly trying to cover up the obvious explanation:
The giant spider web was made by a giant spider! :eek:
That picture reminds me of the spiders’ webs in John Wyndham’s posthumously published novel, Web.
You should probably also caution arachnophobes not to do a search for “spider bites” on Youtube.
Those are conifers, aren’t they? Looks more like the work of the Pine Processionary Moth to me - or some other tent caterpillar (compare)
As long as they are eating mosquitoes, this is GOOD!
That’s worse than the other pics. At least you can walk away from the evil forest preserve. My god, I’d have to torch my bike!
I once saw these enormous bag-like nesty coccoony things hanging from a tree. They look like spiderweb material. My friend called it a bagworm infestation, but the pictures I find of bagworms are nothing like what I saw. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Can anyone find a picture?
I agree. I don’t think that this is the work of an arachnid. The “web” looks very much like the cocoon I found in my friend’s tree. There were these caterpillar-like things crawling around inside of it.
I’m not really amused with insects but that picture is pretty damn cool.
I think spiders are cool, and I fricking HATE mosquitoes, so personally I think that’s about the best thing I’ve seen all day. Die, mosquitoes, die a screaming death!
I really hate mosquitoes.
Did you see this neat topic, started yesterday? 
ETA: In a different forum. :o
As long as they stay in Texas, this is GOOD!
Kick ASS! Go get 'em spiders!
Just to give a more complete picture to the tent caterpillar infestation that mangetout had linked, they covered a HUGE area…
I’m not going near either place
Well, a buzzing death anyway.
Yup, that’s what I saw in my neighbors tree. How can something so disgustingly horrifying also be that beautiful?
No. How could I have, despite my diligent searching? It didn’t even mention spiders ONCE in the ENTIRE THREAD! And that completely astonishes me!
No one has mentioned the added attraction of tent caterpillar-infested trees(warning, may be TMI for some):
The little buggers fall out of the trees. On your head. Like a slow rain of caterpillars. I discovered this hiking in Calf Creek falls, where the trail winds along under a forest of cottonwoods. It really freaked me out initially, but I then I stopped just to watched and listen. Pretty amazing, really.
I like caterpillars, but that creeped me out. It LOOKS really neat, but to live with it…ugh.
The Texas spiders–they seem really cool. I heard on NPR that the entire web(s) which is about 200 yards across hums–the sound of trapped mosquitos, dying.
There is no more beautiful sound in the woods…
I wonder how big of a squish you could make if you waited for a pile and stomped on them.