I do like spiders and snakes

Maybe you remember an old song by Jim Stafford called 'Spiders and Snakes'... or maybe not.

In any case, growing up I thought of spiders as mere pests, particularly when they were in the house. And regrettably (looking back now), I used to kill them with a facial tissue and throw them in the trash. Well, I don't do that anymore. If I bother to do anything now, I've found that I can usually trap them in a plastic cup, slowly slide a stiff piece of paper/card under the cup, and safely transport them outside where I let them go. The thought of spiders and especially the way they look still gives me the heebie-jeebies, but I realize that they are a very important part of the balance of nature.

I don't even like to kill flies anymore. And I use the same plastic cup method to catch and release them. That is, only if they are parked on a flat surface that I can press against with the cup. But it's actually often easier to do than swatting them with a swatter. And once they're outside, I figure that they're again part of the cycle of life, even if they get gobbled up by a bird (or caught in a spider's web).

Snakes are cooler - I've always liked them. For reasons unknown, when I was little I decided that the anaconda was my favorite kind of snake. I even did a school report on them back in elementary school. Even now, I'd love to find a gopher snake in the garden. Of course, I'd give it plenty of room and not grab it or otherwise annoy it too much. Although several years ago, there was a small one making its way across the porch and I went ahead and grabbed my camera and took pictures as I laid on the ground. So neat!


Not long ago, the local wildbird store featured a talk being given by a naturalist, this time to give a presentation about reptiles and amphibians. And he brought maybe three snakes, one of which was gentle to handle. So he let us members of the audience hold it! It was a king snake, one that was used to being handled by people. So I was able to hold it myself too at some point. Awesome! On the other hand, if the guy had been talking about tarantulas, I'd have to stay away... like I said, heebie-jeebies.

Think about it though, where would we be without spiders and snakes? Without them, the world would be overrun with flies and rodents and other pesky things. Nature out of balance.