May 27, 2016 Fishing Spiders With the explosion of color that spring brings—the woodland wildflowers, the migrating warblers, the sheer greenness of the land—it’s only natural that some of us would be seeing spots before our eyes. I know I am. Lots of spots, in fact. Paired symmetrically along the back of Dolomedes triton, the
Arachnid, Fishing Spider, Spider
With the explosion of color that spring brings—the woodland wildflowers, the migrating warblers, the sheer greenness of the land—it’s only natural that some of us would be seeing spots before our eyes. I know I am. Lots of spots, in fact. Paired symmetrically along the back of Dolomedes triton, the six-spotted fishing spider. I encountered
Arachnid, Six Spotted Fishing Spider, Spider
“Let me show you something hideous!” My friend Mrs. Janet was pretty emphatic as she pulled her phone from her purse. While under different circumstances I might have been intimidated by her phrasing, in this case I was anything but. Because, as she scrolled through her photos, she muttered two of my very favorite words
Arachnid, Argiope Spider, Spider
June 25, 2015 Fishing Spider A young female fishing spider snacks on an ebony jewelwing damselfly. If you’ve ever traveled with teens or tweens (or me, for that matter) you know that food for the trip is a primary concern. Meals and snacks are planned just as carefully as the route and the restroom stops.
Arachnid, Fishing Spider, Spider
November 21, 2014 Jumping Spiders With large eyes and fuzzy bodies, jumping spiders frequently are referred to as the ‘teddy bears’ of the spider world. About 350 species occur throughout North America. Ah, the teddy bear. What could be more comforting than this charming icon of childhood? Cuddly, wide-eyed and ever vigilant, teddy bears have
Arachnid, Jumping Spider, Spider
The woodlouse spider is noted for its deep red coloring and its large fangs, or chelicerae. Our cool and wet summer has led to an abundance of woodlice—a.k.a. sowbugs and roly-polies—and hence an abundance of woodlouse spiders. August 29, 2014 Woodlouse Spider Lousy. It’s a crummy term, even under the best of circumstances. That is,
Arachnid, Spider, Wood Louse Spider
May 9, 2014 Furrow Spider I don’t think Mother Goose will mind if I paraphrase her work just a bit: “Along came a spider So I sat down beside her And frightened Miss Spider away!” Typically, when one encounters a spider outside in springtime, the creature is teensy. Actually, I believe the technical term is
Arachnid, Furrow Spider, Spider
We had a little discord in the naturalist department a while back, something I suppose was bound to happen eventually. Our staff is small, and our work space is limited. It was inevitable that, one day, someone would move somebody else’s stuff around and trigger some resentment. Thankfully, the conflict was short-lived. Even better, it’s
Arachnid, Spider, Tarantual
We had a Little Miss Muffet Moment the other day here at the Pottawatomie Community Center. No, it didn’t involve a tuffet (which I understand is some sort of footstool), nor were there any curds or whey. But there was a spider. Man, was there a spider. It showed up, quite unannounced, in Multipurpose Room
Arachnid, Spider, Wolf Spider
Regular readers of this space might recall that, last winter, a critter took up residence inside my vehicle. (If you were one of the many people who wrote or called in with a car critter solution, thank you! But the rodent had other plans; it moved on before I was able to put any of
Araneus, Barn Spider, Spider