Strange spider webs all over a field

Khantazm

It was this summer, in the morning, I was going down the hill to a river, through a sort of meadow, and noticed that everywhere I looked grass was covered with spider webs. I think it was mostly dry-ish tall grass with a... structure capable of supporting a web (don't know what it's called, but it's like thin branches of a tree with the foliage at the top), and I looked and didn't find any spiders. It was surreal because they'd appeared overnight, and were pretty much gone in the afternoon. I'd really love to have some kind of explanation. I mean, I don't think there could be so many spiders if one spider wove one web, and I can't see any point for a few spiders to make so many webs.

jim mcnamara

Where are you located? What season is it?

There are colonial spider species, they usually cover small trees and shrubs; they are tropical. There are also lepidopterans (butterflies & moths) that have larvae that kind of all-at-once will cover an area with spider web like "houses". Tent caterpillars in North America will sometimes do this.

Try looking for tiny worm-like beasties in the webs. They don't bite. :)

Pictures might help.

Khantazm

Yeah, about that... As I say, it happened this summer. More specifically, in temperate climate of Central Russia. I can't go check it out, and happily there appear to be other explanations than crazy spiders. The webs looked very convincingly spider-y to my untrained eye. I remember stopping to study one (or more) and not noticing any worms, but I can't vouch for being thorough enough, especially if they are very small.