Eensy weensy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
Eensy weensy spider went up the spout again
Most of us have sung that little ditty to a child at some time in our lives. It’s a sweet song, designed to show that spiders aren’t horrors of the dark, but rather just living creatures dealing with the vagaries of life. When we see a spider, perhaps it would help to think of eensy weensy trying to get up the inside of a waterspout before we run to grab a can of insecticide.
Or maybe we should remember that wise arachnid, Charlotte, heroine of A. A. Milne’s fabulous children’s tale Charlotte’s Web. It was Charlotte, after all, who saved the life of runt piglet, Wilber, by making him famous writing clever things about him in her web.
And then there’s the writing spider herself. Named, it is believed, for Charlotte-like intricacies of her web (or, perhaps, for the hieroglyphs drawn on her tiny back), this little spider is just over half an inch long. Imagine what her life is like, weaving a complex web and then waiting for a meal to just show up. If no insect wanders into her web, then she has no food. However, many of those insects that do become spider meals are those we find to be pesky, such as mosquitoes, flies, gnats and cockroaches. Insect control is the writing spider’s job, and she does it very well.
Before we grab that can of insecticide, or call the guy with the spray truck, we should also remember that spiders are part of the food web for birds. Avian species like Ovenbirds, thrushes, and that wonderful woodland songster, the tiny Winter Wren, thrive on spiders. If we could put a camera at the nest of the above birds, we would see that they feed lots of spiders to their nestlings. And remember that hummingbirds secure their nests with spider silk. No spiders, no hummingbird nests. No nests, no next generation of hummers.
We should also keep in mind that spraying spiders does not get rid of them. While the numbers may be temporarily reduced, these fascinating members of the insect world will still be there, doing their important work.
So the next time a spider comes into your world, appreciate it for what it is. If it is inside your home, capture it in a jar or glass and haul it outdoors. The Winter Wren nesting in your woods will appreciate your thoughtfulness. So will your female hummingbird when she gets ready to build that nest.