Spiders have long been associated with mythology and superstition. To this day, arachnophobia is listed as one of peoples’ top ten fears. However, not all cultures have a negative view of spiders. Some people have a real fondness for them.

According to some Native American traditions, the spider is grandmother and creator. As the legend goes, the spider began creation by spinning two threads, east to west and north to south. She then made the people of the earth from yellow, white, red and black clay and sent them out to live. Chief Seattle also used a spider analogy in his famous quote that encourages environmental conservation: “Man did not create the web of life, he is merely a strand.”

Other cultures have likewise referred to spiders has important symbols. In Greek mythology, spiders were connected with the Fates, women believed to weave, measure and cut the threads of life. In India, the spider was associated with Maya, the weaver of illusion.

In American culture, spiders are rarely treated with the same respect. In fact, more spiders are intentionally stepped on than admired, but these “creepy crawlies,” when you get to know them, are truly fascinating and worthy of our interest.

Spiders are recognized by their eight legs and two body parts, as opposed to an insects six legs and three body parts. The front or head-end of the spider is the cephalothorax and the rear part is the abdomen. All eight of the spider’s legs are attached to the cephalothorax.

The fact that spiders are hairy may contribute to their creepy image, but their hairiness actually serves a remarkable function. Even though spiders have no ears, they perceive their environment primarily through the detection of vibrations. They accomplish this using special sensory hairs on their legs.

There are two basic groups of spiders – those that build webs and those that do not. Among those that build webs, three of the most common include cobweb weavers, orb-weavers, and funnel weavers. Common wandering spiders, which do not build webs, include wolf, crab and jumping spiders.

Cobweb spiders build a messy-looking tangle of silk that most people repeatedly sweep up from the corners of their homes. The silk itself is practically invisible, only becoming obvious as dust accumulates on it.

Funnel web spiders are often found in low growing vegetation. Their webs consist of a relatively flat, dense sheet of silk that narrows to form a funnel on one end. The spider is most often found hiding in the silken tube, where it waits in ambush. When an insect happens upon the sheet part of the web, the spider darts out, bites its victim and carries it back to its retreat to eat.

Orb webs are surely the most impressive of spider creations. Most orb-weavers create a new web each morning, having eaten the previous day’s web the night before. A fresh web is necessary because orb-weavers are not nearly as durable and the other types of webs. The ingestion of the old web allows the spider to recycle the silk proteins that are metabolically costly to produce. As an added benefit of eating the old web, the spider ingests many tiny insects that may have been caught in the web but gone unnoticed.

Jumping spiders could be described as the teddy bears of the arachnid family – at least arachnologists think they are very cute! Unlike most spiders, the jumpers have large eyes and excellent vision. They also can be very colorful with little tufts of hair called pedipalps on their heads. Jumping spiders are catlike in their hunting method – they slowly stalk their prey until they are close enough to pounce. Like all wandering spiders, jumpers are equipped with a silken safety rope that emerges from their spinnerets. If a spider accidentally falls off an edge, the silk line will hold hit until it climbs back up.

Crab spiders are some of the most colorful of arachnids. Their vivid colors allow them to blend in with flower blossoms, where they sit and wait for visits by pollinating insects. The name crab spider comes from the position of their front legs as well as their ability to walk sideways.

If you were asked to think of an animal that takes very good care of its offspring, a spider would probably not come to mind. However, female wolf spiders exhibit remarkable parental care. First, she lays her eggs into a small egg case that she constructs out of silk. Next, she attaches the egg case to her spinnerets and carries it with her wherever she goes. After a few weeks, when the eggs are ready to hatch, she tears open the egg case so the tiny spiderlings can emerge. Her work isn’t finished yet because each one of those baby spiders then climbs up onto her back where they ride until they are ready to fend for themselves. This is quite a feat considering the female may have over a hundred spiderlings at one time. The next time you see a wolf spider, take a closer look and you may find that she is carrying an egg case or her babies along with her.

To learn more about spiders, join the Naturalist for Spider Fun on Sunday, September 7 at 2 p.m. at Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve.