A friend sent me a link to Whirled Wide Webs, which sells mounted spider webs. They’re lovely, but a tad pricey for what amounts to a glorified science fair project. With a little practice, you can easily make similar mounted webs for next to nothing.

If at all possible, make sure that the spider is done with the web before you collect it; even though they can rebuild a web pretty quickly it still takes them time and energy to do so. If you come across a really lovely web that’s still occupied it’s probably okay to collect it as long as you don’t keep bothering the same spider over and over again.

Materials:
Spray paint
Stiff paper in contrasting color
Spray adhesive (hairspray will work in a pinch)
Spray varnish or craft sealer
Scrap cardboard
Frame

Instructions:

1. Check to see whether the web is still occupied. Look around the edges of the web where spiders tend to lurk, or tap it lightly to see if anything scurries out. If the spider is still in residence shoo it away with a stick, making sure not to damage the web in the process.
2. Spray the web lightly with paint, holding the cardboard behind it to keep from spraying everything in the area (this is easier with a helper). Make sure to hold the paint far enough away from the web that the force of the spray doesn’t damage it.
3. Spray the paper with adhesive and then very carefully bring it in contact with the web. Move slowly to avoid distorting the strands and try to angle the paper so that the whole web touches it at once.
4. Carefully detach all of the web’s anchor strands to free it from the surrounding vegetation, then hold the cardboard behind it again and spray it evenly with craft sealer. Again, spray carefully to avoid blasting the web to bits.
5. When thoroughly dry, mount as desired. If you can identify the species of spider that made the web, you might wish to make a fancy identification label as well.

If you collect a particularly nice specimen you might consider having a glasscutter create a custom beveled-glass frame to display it, but a cheap picture frame works just as well. The mounted webs can also be slipped into plastic sleeves and collected in a notebook.

Pretty! And cheap. An excellent combination.