The Beauty of the Spider

Spiders.  What comes to mind when you hear that word?  Do you cringe?  Grimace?  Shudder?
  
The spider has been a creature to create a sense of terror for years.  A bit of proof would be in the third Lord of the Rings movie.  Frodo is hunted by a giant spider named Shelob. 
Why was it a spider?  Why not some other arthropod?
Perhaps it is because of the spider's mysterious and predatory nature.  This, plus a homely appearance make this arachnid a focus of fear for many.

But look who's talking.
I was terrified of spiders for probably most of my life.  I really am not sure why.  If you had asked me the question at the time, my answer would probably have been, "Because they're scary," which would not have been very helpful.
But however long I've been afraid of them, I have been fascinated with them for just as long.  In fact, in this past year or so, my fear of spiders has been shrinking away, and my interest in them has grown.  After all, what's not fascinating about the spider?  They are hunters, they have fangs and, in about thirty species, quite dangerous venom.  They have incredible reflexes and can really move when they need to!

Hold the phone, Henrietta.
The list of reasons that spiders are intriguing is the exact same list of why they are feared!  Why?  Sometimes it is a matter of age, like with me, and sometimes not.
Perhaps we can change that.
The next time you see one of those leggy creatures, take a few moments to find something neat about what you see before you hit it with a shoe (unless, of course, it's a brown recluse, then hit it NOW ).  If you are terrified of these creepy crawlies, perhaps in a little while you won't find them as frightening as you once did. 

Perhaps you will see the beauty of spiders.


From your blogging friend,
Meghan