I found this leaf on a walk. It caught my attention immediately from a distance. The web it is tangled is one strand that was stretched across a wide opening. The strand going to the right is about 6 feet long and the strand on the left is about 3 feet long.
Small spiders use silk threads for ballooning, an inaccurate term for the dynamic kiting spiderlings (mostly) use for dispersal. They extrude several threads into the air and let themselves be carried away by winds. Although most rides will end a few yards later, it seems to be a common way for spiders to invade islands. Many sailors have reported that spiders have been caught in their ship's sails, even when far from land. The extremely fine silk that spiders use for ballooning is known as gossamer. In some cases, spiders may even use silk as a source of food. (Wikipedia)