Spiderlings (baby spiders) are apt to climb to the top of almost any tall weed, bush, or fence post, and extrude strands of silk into the wind, rather like releasing a kit into the air. As the silk lines lengthen, the wind tugs harder and harder on them, until finally the spiderling releases its hold on its platform, and the wind bears silk lines and spiderling to new territory -- perhaps just to the next bush, or maybe to the next county or state. This manner of traveling is called ballooning.
 

Many small spiders use silk threads for ballooning, the scientific term for the dynamic kiting. Spiderlings (mostly) use for dispersal. They extrude several threads into the air and let themselves become carried away with upward winds. Although most rides will end a few meters 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.

 

Especially small species and immature individuals, use silk in a form of airborne travel called ballooning. To balloon, the spider climbs to a high point and releases silk into the air. When the drag on the silk exceeds the spider's mass, the spider releases itself into the air.
 

Standing on its web, as if floating in the middle of the air, so fine is this young spider's silk that the web is not visible in a camera's image.