Today this little creature was in the sunroom. I don't know the species. Doesn't look like a human-harmful one. Maybe she or he will munch on aphids, ants, gnats, or whiteflies? I have some of all of those. I moved her / him to a plant with some whitefly issues. Jumping spider maybe?
That is a lovely thing. I was curious to look it up because I have never seen one like this. I found a Phidippus audax, but I am not at all sure if that is correct. Spiders are interesting to me and I do not kill them in the garden. At home I toss them out the window if the Bride wants it removed. She would prefer a sudden and conclusive death. My argument supporting how helpful they are falls on deaf ears and elicits the usual chant, “ out, out, out, out”! I come back with a jovial question, “Are you trying out for a role in Hamlet”? You know, if she doesn’t stop rolling her eyes, she may need glasses some day. Snikker.
We have two venomous spiders (black widows, brown recluse) here in Texas, and when in the garden I am very careful. When in the house, any spider is fair game. Sjoerd, if she doesn't stop rolling her eyes, you may get stomped on!
It does looks like some type of jumping spider Daniel. Harmless to us but will do a good job with those bugs. I put any spiders I find here out into the garden as I hate to kill them.
Spider bites have given me cellulitis, twice. I don't care. Most spiders are our friends. In the outdoor garden, I credit spiders, ladybugs, and praying mantises for hot rare it is for me to have aphid or other bug problems. If there is a spider indoors, it's living on insects and other arthropods. So even indoors they have a role. I do respect them and avoid touching them with my fingers. Yes Sjoerd, just be very careful around out out out LOL!
I like most spiders too. Once I learned who the good and bad guys were my spider phobia disappeared. I was extremely frighted of spiders from a childhood incident. My fav spiders are the giant zipper spider in the argiope genus. A beautiful zip line is in the middle of the ingenious web. They catch hornets and giant horse and deer flies. They are not aggressive at all in fact they are interesting to watch weave their giant web which is actually a beautiful work of art. Much watched as praying mantis are amazing hunters too - which reminds me time to get some mantis eggs…
So sorry to hear that you had a phobia. That is nothing to joke about. I would not go so far to say you have embraced them, but It sounds like you have taken control of your fear though. Chapeau!
Sjoerd it’s something I had faced for a long time and it’s so much easier to just let it go and a little goes a long way by understanding spiders.
Well said, Pac…and I do think you deserve a compliment for being able to find the right technique to help you. But make no mistake about it, in the end—you did overcome the phobia yourself. It really is something.
Omg I don’t know what to say .. just a passage from over the rainbow..spiders and snakes and spooky things in the dark … Oh my!
