I want to sincerely thank my friends for helping me rehome a spider friend. For a bit more than a week, a red-femured spotted orb weaver has been making an elaborate web right near my front door and mailbox every single evening.
Concerned that this might be a phobia for my mail carrier (or anyone else approaching my door) I’ve knocked down the web every single morning with a broom. At that moment, my web artist has scurried upward on a thread to hide in the gutter behind a leaf. Every 24 hours, we would go through the same process. Elaborate web-spinning, broom deconstruction, leaf hiding.
After a while, I asked this spider what their name was, and inwardly, I sensed Herbie, which seemed like a pretty good name. So we coexisted for a week or so, and every evening, I would take a few minutes to turn on the porch light and watch Herbie do his magic. Honestly, it is pretty amazing that a spider can make something so beautifully and geometrically proportional.
A few days ago, I asked if anyone local on my FB timeline genuinely liked spiders. I thought someone might take down the web while I was out of town. I ended up staying home instead, but I’m still glad I asked this question, because I discovered that two of my friends do indeed like spiders. In addition to helping with the web, they were willing to place Herbie in a container and rehome him in a park.
My friends did not disappoint. Herbie now lives in a local park with local park bugs.
I hope there is plenty for him to discover. After all, I discovered something unexpected too:
Turns out I have Herbii.
We’re gonna let the other one spin her web a bit further down from my porch. But now the doorway will be free. And I know if I need another retrieval, these friends are up for the job. I’m so thankful for the help!
Have a good day, Herbie. Enjoy today’s bugs.
–Renee Roederer
Smuggling Grace 