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Happening
at the Crossroads
September 21,
2009
by Coggin
Heeringa
As
the strangely layered fog disperses in the sunlight of September
mornings, the glory of autumn colors is revealed at Crossroads at Big
Creek. And on these special mornings spider webs, studded with morning
dew, are exquisite.
Even folks who dislike spiders are impressed with their web-making abilities. How do they do it? And just what is silk anyway?
Silk
is a remarkable natural fiber. It is twice as strong as steel and can
stretch better than nylon.Spider silk starts out as a liquid protein
called fibroin which is produced in silk glands in the spider’s
abdomen. The liquid silk then passes into the spinnerets. Most spiders
have six spinnerets which are like tiny spigots. The silk spurts out in
many little streams of liquid. These individual streams come together
to form a strand of silk.
Actually, though, a spider doesn’t
shoot the silk out of the spinnerets. Instead, it literally pulls the
silk out with the claws of its hind legs. By pulling the silk, the
spider puts tension on the strand causing it to polymerize, which
results in the silk being much stronger when it becomes a solid.
Spiders
produce very little silk. Their webs may be large, but the strands of
silk are skinnier than a human hair. One reference book said that a
whole spider web weighs 0.0000175 ounce. [Usually, when I give a
weight, I try to give an example so readers can compare it with
something familiar. Sorry. I can't even imagine anything that light.]
“Humans
have always had a fascination and a phobia of spiders,” writes UW-Green
Bay professor and arachnologist Dr. Mike Draney. He admits, ” Spiders
are sort of interestingly creepy, especially up close, seeing them
under the microscope,”
On Saturday, September 26, at 10 am, NEW
Audubon brings Mike Draney to Crossroads to introduce kids and grownup
kids to the fascinating world of spiders
He will dispel many myths as he describes where spiders live, how to study them and what they do to make this a better world.
Following
an indoor program, participants will go outside to look for spiders. If
you have a live spider you like identified, bring it along to share
with the group.
Draney, who went to Panama recently on a mission
to discover new spider species, explains “[Fear of spiders] may be
genetic legacies that go back to our primate ancestors that really had
something to worry about with spiders and snakes.
“There are
thousands of spider species in the world, living in all kinds of
conditions. And there are probably thousands of species left
undiscovered. All are poisonous in some manner (mostly for catching and
killing prey), but very few are poisonous enough to seriously hurt or
kill a person.
“Most spiders can’t even bite humans. Anything
smaller than about my pinkie nail is too small to bite people and so
there’s nothing to worry about.”
While we really don’t need to
worry about spiders, invasive species are a concern because they are a
genuine threat to our native plants. So Friends of Crossroads with the
help of the DCIST (the Door County Invasive Species Team) will spend
the upcoming Friday mornings in Buckthorn eradication.
They
encourage the general public to “meet the enemy” by joining a work
party. By learning to recognize invasive species, private land owners
are more likely to recognize these problem plants before they get out
of control.
Most invasive plants are aliens – plants from other
countries. Actually, with the exception of Indians, Americans are all
invasive aliens. Our ancestors came from somewhere else.
On
Sunday, Sept. 27 the Door County Historical Society sponsors a special
program: “What’s It like to be an Immigrant?” on the porch at the
Schopf House.
Gabrielle Wolfe came from Germany in 1952 and now
lives near Sturgeon Bay . She will tell of her own experiences as an
immigrant to the United States , and compare it with the family who
first built the Schopf House, Gus and Caroline Lautenbach.
The
Lautenbachs came from Germany in the 1880s, because they longed for a
better life for themselves and their children. They settled in the Town
of Jacksonport where they found a German speaking community, making it
easier to adjust to a strange new world.
Crossroads
at Big Creek is a donor- supported preserve welcoming learner of all
ages to programs in science, history and the environment. The Collins
Learning Center is open daily 2:00-5:00. The Historical Village at the
Crossroads is open Sundays from 1:30-4:00. Trails are always open to
the public. Pets (on leash and under control) are permitted. For maps
and information go to www.crossroadsatbigcreek.org.
Friday, September 25, 9:00
Buckthorn Party
Friends
of Crossroads and members of the Door County Invasive Species Team
invite citizens to join them in their efforts to eradicate buckthorn
from the Crossroads preserve. By helping Crossroads, land owners will
learn how to recognize and deal with this problem plant. Meet at the
Collins Learning Center . Wear clothes which can be soiled or stained.
Saturday September 26, 10:00
Family Program: SPIDERS ALIVE!
NEW
Audubon brings Mike Draney, arachnologist and professor at the
University of Wiscosnin-Green Bay to Crossroads to introduce young kids
and grownup kids to the fascinating world of spiders. He will dispel
many myths as he describes where spiders live, how to study them and
what they do to make this a better world. Following an indoor program
in the Collins Learning Center , participants will go outside to look
for spiders. If you have a live spider you like identified, bring it
along to share with the group.
Sunday, September 27, 1:30-4:00
Tours of the Historical Village
Costumed
interpreters will offer free tours to the Historical Village . The
General Store will be open for business. Tours start each half hour.
Meet at the Chapel when the bell tolls.
2:00
Program “What’s It like to be an Immigrant? “
Gabrielle
Wolfe came from Germany in 1952 and now lives near Sturgeon Bay . She
will tell of her own experiences as an immigrant to the United States ,
and compare it with the family who first built the Schopf House, Gus
and Caroline Lautenbach.
The Lautenbachs came from Germany in
the 1880s, because they longed for a better life for themselves and
their children. Mrs. Wolfe will present her program from the porch of
the Schopf House.
Thursday, October 1, 7:00
Master Gardener Lecture: “Graceful Vines and Sweet Wild Roses”
Why
were vines such an important addition to the nineteenth century
Wisconsin garden? What did great grandmother consider an essential
plant at the back door? Landscape historian and Master Gardener Lee
Somerville will explain and illustrate Wisconsin garden history in her
discussion. Free Lecture Hall of the Collins Learning Center .
Many of
the Past News articles may be retrieved from this directory,
indexed and named in the following manner: 080101-news.htm
where
the first two numbers are the year, the second two the month and the
last two the date.
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