Save a Spider Day🕸️

March 14 is World Spider Day. These creatures often get a bad rap, but if we choose to remember Charlotte’s Web [1] rather than Arachnophobia [2], we might have a better time of it. I have personally always found spiders interesting (as long as they are outside, and not on the ceiling of my bedroom), and love their intricate webs.

Spoiler Alert: In case you haven’t figured it out…this post is about spiders. If you have a major phobia, I do not recommend scrolling further.

A dew-covered web in the early morning on the 14th Street Bridge in Calgary.

Spiders come in many sizes and colours. Here are some photos I’ve taken over the years.

Giant Golden Orbweaver (Nephila pilipes) - Doi Inthanon, TH

Giant Golden Orbweaver (Nephila pilipes) - Cuc Phuong, VN

Hasselt's Spiny Spider (Macracantha hasselti) - Cuc Phuong, VN

Banded Phintella (Piniella vittata) - Ninh Binh, VN

Forest Wolf Spider (Hogna frondicola) - Cypress Hills, AB

Grass Spiders Genus Agelenopsis - White Rock Coulee, AB

Thin-legged Wolf Spiders Genus Pardosa - Ibex Valley, YT

Pantropical Jumping Spider (Plexippus paykulli) - Luxor, EG

Lobed Argiope (Argiope lobata) Crete, GR

Even if you have a love/hate relationship with spiders, remember that they eat many of the other critters you may not want in your house. You should try to capture and release them outdoors if you are skittish about them roaming your abode.

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[1] E.B. White (1952) Charlotte’s Web. Harper & Bros. Illustrations by Garth Williams.

[2] Arachnophobia is a Horror/Comedy film from 1990. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnophobia_(film)

[3] Carter Chen 5 Facts You Didn’t Know About Spiders. Blog of the Butterfly Pavilion. https://butterflies.org/spider-facts/