Walk outside on a dewy summer morning and the delicate beauty of spider webs can stop you in the your tracks. It’s easy to see the beauty in the web, but it can be challenging to see the beauty in the maker: spiders have bad rap, but naturalist Larry Weber is here to change all that. Join Larry for this field-based experience and learn to observe and identify not only spiders but also their distinctive webs. Students will use simple tools to get to know common species in the area, learn about basic spider biology and study web structure. Do a little “web watching” with Larry and you’ll learn to see spiders and their handiwork with new eyes. The course will begin with a classroom session, take a dinner break and then head into the field at dusk. On Day 2, students will head into the field for morning web identification, take a breakfast break and then wrap up in the classroom.

You will need the following tools for this class:

• outdoor clothing for wet or muddy conditions
• we will take a dinner break and a breakfast break

• Feel free to bring your favorite tools and whatever materials you might feel appropriate for this course.
• Hand lens (magnifying glass)
• close-focus binoculars
• close-focus camera