Northern Jewelled Spider
I recently chanced upon a curious flourescence out the corner of my eye, beneath the movement of a small black invertebrate. Upon closer inspection, I was delighted to see the Northern Jewelled (or Spiny) Spider, weaving its egg-sac.
For many years I had wondered which spider was responsible for the brand-new-tennis-ball-green pillows woven onto the surfaces of rainforest trunks. Not only were they impressive in their vibrant colour (as far as silk production goes), but they also seemed to be well regarded by many rainforest birds in the camouflaged construction of their nests.
It would seem that this two-dimensional wheel-web-weaving spider was amongst the first collected by Sir Joseph Banks, when the Endeavour was beached along the river that would become so named, in the heart of the Guugu Yimidhirr homelands.