Looking Past the Spider’s Cover
While mowing the lawn this weekend, I inadvertently plowed into not one, but two rather sizable spider webs. While the first web I accidentally walked through was met with only a distracted annoyance, the second one gave me a moment’s trepidation that perhaps the builder of this web might have also found its way onto me. Obviously, this momentary sense of dread was an irrational one since there are no spiders in my area that could be of any danger to me. Nonetheless, I’m sure many of you can relate to that repulsive feeling toward spiders as this is a rather common instinctual response.
But aside from their, well, freakishly scary appearance, what is there about spiders for us be scared of? Granted, the experience of accidentally walking into those spider webs was an unpleasant one, and I’m sure many of you are like me in not exactly being thrilled about the prospects of having something crawling on your body. Then again, I can easily imagine the situation was far worse for those spiders than it was for me. First of all, not only did I destroy their web, causing them to lose at least an hour’s worth of work, but I also cost them valuable time they could have used to catch something in their web to eat.
And when you think about it, it’s hard not to be a little impressed by their tenacity, if not the incredible amount of patience they exhibit waiting for sheer chance to provide them with some form of sustenance. Of course, their lying in wait in the middle of their web also puts them at a bit of risk given how many of them are so short-sighted, they can’t tell if that movement on their web is the food they’ve been waiting for or perhaps something that could harm them – like someone who happens to be mowing his lawn that day.
And yet, thanks to those spiders who weave those large nets across our yards and gardens, we benefit by having a drop in the number of real pests that disturb our ability to enjoy the great outdoors. Given the choice, I’m sure most of us would prefer a handful of spiders in our backyard instead of a swarm of buzzing and biting mosquitoes.
Looking at all the difficulties a spider has to contend with, perhaps our innate fear is not so much a beneficial trait for us as it is a means of protection for spiders from us. An interesting thought, isn’t it – that we might have an instinctual behaviour that helps someone other than ourselves. Perhaps it’s even possible that if we took the time to move past focusing on their appearance and looked instead at how they help us, maybe we’d learn to collectively have a more appreciative relationship with these fellow creatures.
After all, as the saying goes, it’s never wise to judge a book by its cover.
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I have arachnophobia, sorry to say no matter how I rationalize the benefits of spiders, I cannot get pass it.
It is innate and a deep rooted feeling. However, since I’ve moved to the country I don’t do the freaky dance every time I see one as often. And if I see more than two in one day, I don’t threaten to pack my bags and head to a hotel like I used to. I can, allow them to live peacefully around me as long as they stay on their side of the sidewalk.
Hi Angelina,
Obviously, those who suffer from arachnophobia have a bigger hill to climb in how spiders are perceived and the subsequent relationships with these creatures. However, for the majority of us who are affected more by the instinctive fear toward spiders, our aversion toward these animals is worth a re-examination.
Imagine, for example, if we could make spiders look more like cute, furry creatures, how could they protect themselves from predators and other dangers like humans? Unlike skunks that have a potent odour to keep others at bay, all spiders have is their grotesque appearance. Take that away and well, there’s very little left to fear. At the same time, though, there’s still much for us to be grateful for in how they help maintain a balance in our ecosystems.
Thanks Angelina for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Hopefully, those spiders in your yard won’t stir up your phobias too much this summer season so you can enjoy the weather – when it co-operates that is.
Do you think that perhaps if spiders (I even hate typing that word!) were a cute little thingy people would embrace them? I read somewhere that within a six foot sq. area there lives a spider, I shutter to think how many actually live in my house.
I have a friend who loves spiders… http://carolom.wordpress.com/category/spiderwoman/
Always a pleasure reading your blog. : )
I’m sure they would, but the problem I would see is that without any means to keep people at a distance, how would they be protected from being disturbed? Can you imagine how often kids would grab spiders if they looked like a small chipmunk or rabbit?
By being restricted in their movements to one spot – their web – it’s clear spiders need some deterrent to keep us away. And what better way to do that than to look as creepy as possible.
As for your friend’s blog, that’s quite a spider she caught on camera. I’m sure that’s one spider you wouldn’t want to find in your backyard.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. And I’m glad to hear you are enjoying reading my blog.