Millions of spiders fleeing flooded farmland in Hikurangi, New Zealand, have swarmed a 75 meter stretch of Jordan Valley Road, decorating the ground and trees with ghost-like silky webs.
According to Hikurangi Swamp farmer Ben Smith, this eye catching phenomenon occurs annually as the lands flood during late autumn and lasts around 2-3 weeks when the spiders begin to disperse as the floodwaters recede.
Culprits for this strange animal behavior are most probably baby money spiders, which apparently produce a long single thread of silk in an attempt to be picked up by the thermals and light winds, allowing them to be transported long distances without using lots of energy in a clever natural process called ballooning.
Spiders are able to make numerous different types of silk and this ballooning silk is different to the silk normally used to build webs.
More pictures and information here.
