Country diary: in a spin over the orb-weaver spiders

Ramsley Moor, Derbyshire: In the tangle of fading thistles and nettles behind the fence is a frenzy of constructionMist was cloaking Ramsley Moor, but the light was anything but flat. The grey veil seemed to glow, catching silvery beads of moisture soaking the heather. Dropping down a steep incline, we stopped for coffee by a stream that had, just like us, gathered pace down the hill, bubbling happily, just as we were, leaning against a wooden fence admiring compact oaks and hawthorns that this year seemed thicker with fruit than ever.Gradually, I became aware that it wasn't just the water that was rushing along. In the tangle of fading thistles and nettles behind the fence was a frenzy of construction, a dozen or so orb-weaver spiders with their hard hats on, working busily in the early autumn chill on glittering spirals of silk to strengthen webs freighted with heavy droplets of condensation. Continue reading...