These Spiders Are Real Halloween Characters

I think most of us can agree that spiders are inherently creepy – it’s something about all the eyes and wiggly legs. But as creepy as they may be, they are still essential to a healthy ecosystem and should be appreciated and not killed outright. Re-homing or ignoring them is the way to treat these beneficial arachnids.In the spirit of appreciating the creepiness, I have five spiders to present to you. And these beauties are all dressed and ready for Halloween.

The Pumpkin Spider (Araneus marmoreus) 

This bootylicious babe is a Marbled Orbweaver), harmless arachnids found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The distinctive orange abdomen belongs to the female and by the time October comes around, it will be globular in shape and packed full of developing eggs. After the females deposits her eggs in late fall, her abdomen will be droopy and soft. Any new mother can relate to that feeling. 

The Vampire Spider (Evarcha culicivora) 

This is a rare species of jumping spiders that is found only around Lake Victoria in Kenya and Uganda. There are many spiders that have vampire-like fangs, but this guy is an actual blood-feeder and craves the blood of vertebrates. This tiny (averaging 5 cm.) spider does not approach the vertebrate directly; instead, it feeds on the blood of female mosquitoes that have fed on the larger animals. It chooses its prey based on the smell of blood on the mosquitoes. Scientists say it is the only known animal that finds prey in this manner. Learn more here.

The Frankenstein Spider (Damarchus Inazuma) 

This unusual spider was discovered in 2021 in the deep forests of western Thailand and exhibits a rare biological phenomenon known as gynandromorphism. It presents as half female and half male. And like its namesake, Frankenstein, it does not seem to be put together too well. The females are lager and orange in color, while the males are grey and smaller. To see both on one animal is jarring at best and I would not want to have one coming at me. The scientist who discovered these spiders named them after Inazuma, a character from the Japanese manga One Piece that has the ability to change between male and female personas. Learn more here. 

The Skeleton/Jack Skellington Spider (Maratus sceletus) 

This jumping spider (2-6mm) is part of the peacock spider family and hails from Queensland, Australia. It’s clear to see how its dramatic black and white markings got its nicknames, but most peacock spiders are way more colorful. What cements its place among its colorful peacock relatives is the male’s exuberant and flashy mating dance that shared by all males of the family. There are a great number of peacock spiders, and it seems that they are consistently finding new ones – with their diminutive size they can be hard to spot. Here is a humorous video showing 51 different peacock spiders dancing to the Bee Gee’s song “Staying Alive”. Learn more here.

The Jason Mask Harvestman (Simambea sp.)  

This interesting little fellow from the rainforests of Ecuador is not technically a spider, it’s an arachnid. Specifically, it’s an opilionid like all daddy long legs. They lack the fangs and venom that true spiders have and don’t spin silk. Nevertheless, I am including this guy on this list because he looks spider-ish and I find him truly creepy. I’m not sure why he’s wearing the Jason mask, but that makes him creepier still. Speaking of harvestmen, there’s one that wears its bunny mask all year long. Learn more here.

Take care out there – there’s creepy creatures about.

Pam

 

An Alternative to a Winter Garden

On nearly every gardening forum this time of year there is a great deal of information on winter gardening. But what if you are tired of all the maintenance a garden needs, or you don’t like the greens that thrive in winter gardens, or you just don’t want to go out in the cold? There is an alternative that’s easy to do and offers an environmentally friendly solution – shut it all down and and concentrate on re-building your soil. After all, healthy soil is arguably the root of all living things.

Before I go any further, I want to apologize if some of this information is too late for your part of the world. I am down here in Southern Arizona where October is the time to take these actions. With all of the crazy climate change weather, it’s hard to say where anyone’s at with seasonal change. At any rate, I hope you will find something you can work with here. 

Clean Up – Remove all summer annuals, any dead plant matter, and assorted lawn debris (you may want to leave some woody bits for native bees to nest in). Pull weeds before they seed so they don’t reappear in the spring. Any plant parts that show signs of disease must be disposed of faraway from the garden, preferably in a trash can. If you are absolutely positive that there is no disease in the plants you are removing, you can compost some and the rest should be cut to the soil level. As their roots decompose naturally, they will provide food for beneficial microbes in the soil. Microbes will flourish underground over the winter if they are given the tools to do so. 

Leaves – If it’s autumn, there will be leaves. If you dread raking, consider all the wonderful ways that leaves can help a dormant garden and the raking chore may seem less onerous. Leaves make an excellent soil amendment. When mixed directly into the soil, they will work throughout the winter to provide nutrients for microbes as they decompose. They also improve soil texture and drainage and keep weeds in check. For an amendment with a finer texture, you can run the lawnmower over your leaf pile before mixing it into the soil. Save some leaves to use as a top mulch over the garden. Mulch will suppress weeds, moderate soil temperature and help to conserve moisture. Compost whatever leaves you don’t use. Please note that leaf piles should not be in roadways or kept in such a way that they can be blown into them. As leaves decompose on hardscapes, they can form a tea that is high in phosphorous. When unusual amounts of phosphorous are introduced into waterways, it can be instrumental in causing harmful algae blooms. One more thing: If you live where there are few autumn leaves to use (like here in the desert), don’t skip the soil amending and mulch steps. Just use traditional mulches like shredded bark or wood chips and use one of our excellent amendments here.

Soil – If you put a little work into your soil right now, you will be rewarded with soil that is ready to go next spring. In addition to the actions I’ve mentioned above, here are a few more recommendations:

• Test your soil to determine if it will require amending to address specific needs. We have test kits here.

• While soil is still above 50°F (about 4-6 weeks before first frost), apply a high-quality organic fertilizer that contains microbes. We have many fertilizers that fit the bill here.

• Apply compost and/or worm castings about the same time as you fertilize.

• Stick some garlic bulbs down in your soil around the time of the first light frost. As they grow, they will help keep your soil texture on point and your microbes happy. Once planted, the garlic will need no more care until summer rolls around again.

• And finally, add your mulch. This essential step is like covering a dish before putting it in the refrigerator – it keeps the goodness inside nice and fresh.

And now you can sit back and enjoy your winter without thinking about your garden out there.

Take Care, Pam