Toni Stahl shared this link on Spiders: The not so spooky Halloween symbol in her October Nature Scoop blog. I thought it timely since I believe spiders are so very underappreciated.
People who come to my home must endure the sight of spiderwebs outdoors and indoors, unless the webs are head height or starting to accumulate too much dust. Spiders are very important to the ecosystem inside or outside my home. Since they eat hundreds of insects, this means fewer insects to bug me inside or outside my home.
It’s sad to know that some people are actually afraid of spiders. They are such beautifully unique creatures. At the hunting property we often see Wolf Spiders which are so awesome. I’m always so in awe I forget to take photos….but here’s a photo of the Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) often called the Prairie Spider. Although this photo was taken by Jack Bartholomai at Horicon Marsh, I have often seen this species of spider hanging around the wet mesic plants in my prairie.
I agree Donna! We enjoy our house spiders. In fact, our kitchen spider appreciated the cabbage worms we found when we were fixing kale and put in his kitchen windowsill web. It kept him busy for a few hours! It’s alarming to note that we’ve seen far fewer spiders in the yard the last year or two.
Yes, I’ve noticed that too, Janet, about the fewer bugs in the yard. I’ve noticed that on the car windshield as well and at first I thought “great!” but then I realized it probably only meant there were fewer bugs around. While we were on vacation recently, I heard a report from some German researchers who have concluded that very thing. I’m hoping to do a post on this in the near future.
Not only are spiders beneficial, but so much fun to watch as they repair webs, or wrap up “lunch” in a silk bag. We had a Wolf Spider at our cottage which was awesome to see as it had tiny babies all over it.
Deer hunting season is just around the corner, so I’m certain we’ll see at least one Wolf Spider when we arrive at the cabin. I’ll try to remember to take a photo this time!