Desert Speaks

Backyard Spiders

"Backyard Spiders" Did you know engineers study spider webs to learn what makes them so strong? They've been compared to steel cables! This program looks at the spiders in your own backyard and some special species as well. Learn how to enjoy spiders, not persecute or fear them. See how spiders make their webs, and how webs are used as a sort of "spider interstate." The show looks at the many different kinds of spiders, including rare "social spiders," which stay together in nests, and hunt communally for the good of the colony. Viewers will get a close-up look at jumping spiders only the size of a small pencil eraser, but creatures with incredible visual acuity who live up to their name as a high-jumping arachnid.