Celebrate Save a Spider Day Every March 14
(Created with fonts & graphics from Creative Fabrica, TheHungryJPEG, and DesignBundles)
Yes, apparently somebody decided we need a Save a Spider Day.
Well, it’s more likely that somebody decided spiders need the day. And that somebody was probably right. Because a lot of spiders lose their lives just for making one little mistake: showing themselves to humans.
And that’s not really fair.
Now I’ve been guilty of that, too. But over time I’ve come to an understanding with the spiders in my house. They stay out of my sight, or run away really fast if I do see them. And I let them live.
If they taunt me, they risk death. Like the one that kept running around the litter box I was trying to clean. Usually I quickly flick them out of the box & they run away. This one refused to be flicked. He paid with his life.
At any rate, every March 14 we must save a spider. Although I don’t think you have to stop at one. Save any spider you come across!
Why save spiders? Because they’re actually very useful. And even kinda cool … once you get past their creepy factor anyway.
A Bite of Spider Trivia
In honor of spiders’ eight legs, here’s eight factoids about spiders.
There’s a vegetarian spider. Yes, really. It’s called Bagheera kiplingi. And it eats mostly growths on acacia tree leaves called Beltian bodies.
A spider’s blood is blue. That’s because in spiders oxygen is not bound to the hemoglobin that gives human blood its red color. Instead spider oxygen is bound to something called hemocyanin, which contains copper.
Spider silk is stronger than steel. Now, of course it’s pretty easy to break a spider’s web, but it would be even easier to break a steel web made with fibers the same width. But if you could make strands of spider silk the same width as a pencil and make a net with them, you’d be able to stop a Boeing 747 in mid-air.
Spider webs can stop bleeding. People knew this hundreds of years ago, and they used spider webs on their wounds. Now scientists have figured out why: Spider silk contains vitamin K, and this vitamin helps slow down bleeding.
Theraphosa blondi (the goliath spider) is the largest spider in the world. Its fangs can be 1 inch long! Ouch!
On the other end of the size scale is the Patu marplesi. Its entire body isn’t even close to an inch long. In fact, 10 of them can fit nicely on the end of a pencil.
Spiders are helpful to hummingbirds, although probably not by choice. The birds use spider silk to help hold their nests together.
Spiders don’t bite and chew their food. Instead they bite and inject digestive juices into their food. Then they suck up the critter’s liquified insides. Yummy.
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial and not at all creepy holiday.
How to Celebrate Save a Spider Day
Well, clearly no spider killing allowed!
This will be easier if you can avoid seeing any spiders for the day. But if you do come across one, gently suggest it go away and hide.
Or trap it in a glass & release it in a dark corner of the basement. No, not outside. Many house spiders can’t actually survive well (or at all) outside. And the point of today is to save a spider. Not to let it die slowly.
Don’t want to get close enough to a big spider to put a glass over it? You’re not alone! And so you can now get nifty little (but long!) tools that let you capture a spider or other bug from a few feet away.
And take a look at these Asian Jumping Spiders. Some of them are kinda cute. It’s hard to believe they’re really creepy, crawly (well, actually jumpy) spiders! And don’t worry, the video is all still pictures. No spiders actually jumping!
So will you stop and reconsider squishing spiders for at least one day each year? Who knows, with time you might even decide spiders deserve to live, too!
[…] Save a Spider Day: Save a spider?! As in don’t squish it when it invades your personal space? For many of us this is a huge ask. But house spiders are actually good to have around, so give it a try for at least one day. […]