In case you were wondering...: 2014

Spiders: How I Came To Admire Them

I used to be terrified of spiders. Growing up, I acted out quite dramatically when I came in contact with a spider. Over the last few years though, my perception of spiders went through a gradual transition. I realized that in general, spiders aren’t dangerous and that they couldn’t hurt me. I thought that it was amazing that a little spider could create a web that was several hundred times larger than itself and still be perfectly symmetrical, and every day at that. But I didn’t always carry the admiration that I do now.

As a young girl, I displayed clear symptoms of arachnophobia. I screamed and freaked out when I saw a spider crawling around me. I called for my brother or dad to come and rescue me from the evil predator who I believed was out to eat me. It is in the human’s best interest to have a natural fear of spiders. All spiders are poisonous and some species can cause great pain and injury to humans and in extreme cases death. That being the case, there are many countries where the usual Western drama over spiders is non-existent. Some psychologists believe that many American’s fear of spiders is largely based on cultural influences and that it is a learned fear. Therefore socially speaking fearing spiders was the normal and acceptable thing to do for a young American girl like me. Even then, with my fearfulness, I was already starting to show an unusual relationship with spiders. When I requested that my brother rescue me from an attacking spider, I would ask him to catch and release the spider outside at a safe distance from the house. I don’t think I had this idea when my father cleared my room of a black widow though; they were an especially evil animal that deserved no mercy. Even though I was afraid of spiders, I still felt compassion for them. I used to call very small spiders “growly”. I made up a theory that the smaller spiders could growl the loudest to compensate for their small size. I talked about my theory quite often and I would label spiders from very growly to not growly depending on their size. I think that I may have been trying to make light of my fear: an attempt at fighting back at my irrationality.

In my mid-teen years, I started to notice spider webs, particularly large orb webs. I thought they were beautiful pieces of art, and I thought it was astonishing that a little spider could spin it all by itself. The symmetry was amazing to me, and it was incredible to me that they were often suspended by only three or four thin lines. These observations brought me to the realization that most spiders were harmless and not out to get me. I knew which spiders were poisonous and where they lived. Here in Southern California, the only spiders that can actually hurt us are brown and black widows. Now I know that they prefer to live outside and I’m aware of where all of the brown widows in our yard live. At this point I became aware that one of the reasons I had feared them so much was because it was a learned fear, and that there was nothing to actually be afraid of. I figured out that I had just been doing what most young girls do and that it wasn’t rational. I was already coming to a point in my life where I didn’t care much for other’s opinion of me, so it allowed me to look deeper into spiders, seek them out, and study them. I found that if you don’t care what people think of you, you can allow yourself to find beauty in new places, and I did.

I never thought I would find so much beauty and creativity in spiders and their homes. A freshly made orb web is positively fascinating to me, and every autumn I actively seek them out in my backyard to admire them. Watcing a spider build her web is even more amazing. I have also come to appreciate the usefulness of spiders. They eat other annoying insects. One or two spiders in your bedroom in the corners act as excellent pest control. Staying in their one spot, they catch the annoying mosquitoes and little flies that buzz around. Now when I see a spider in the house that is running around and not stationary in its web, I catch and release it outside. I made a special bug catcher out of a clear plastic cup (clear cup allows for closer inspection and examination) and a cut up paper plate. I like to keep it at a handy distance. When spiders decide to make their homes on the house plant on my desk, or in the corner of my window over my desk, I often give them names. Once there were a few large spiders living on our front porch and I named them all after flowers. They had names like Rose, Lily, and Daisy. One of my favorite orb weavers lived in the back yard and I named her Camellia because she always made her web between an electrical wire and a camellia bush. When fall approaches, I go outside in the evening and look for orb weavers and their webs. I always bring a good flashlight to examine them and to make sure that I don’t walk into any webs or suspension lines that might collapse someone’s hard work. I tried to get a pet tarantula, but my mother said “not in this house!” Someday.

As a child, having a pet spider is the last thing I thought I would pursue, but through experience, knowledge, and education, my perception of spiders have changed for the better. What used to bring me stress now brings me joy. Something that used to make me cringe in disgust now makes me smile in awe. This admiration has inspired me to look into arachnology as a possible addition to my career with animals and science. I have learned that by looking at things objectively without cultural influences or simple misconceptions that can be eliminated by facts, we can find joy, inspiration, and beauty in new areas of nature.

In case you were wondering...

Monday, October 20, 2014

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Sunday, October 19, 2014

Spiders: How I Came To Admire Them