Some observations by Mary Leathwood. Mary noticed this strange fruit on her hornbeam bonsai.
When she disturbed it, it exploded into a host of tiny spiders.
She identified them as baby spiderlings of the Garden Cross Spider which makes those large orb webs in the autumn.
As Mary watched, they gathered together again in a bunch as before, probably a behaviour left over from clustering in the original egg sac. This behaviour only lasts a short time before they start eating each other. Then they realise, in their limited spidery way, that dispersing might be a good idea.
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