OUTDOORS JOURNAL

Spiders become more noticeable in August When young spiders emerge from their eggs, they already are adults in miniature. The mother spider cares for her eggs and watches over her young with as much diligence as more sophisticated mammals.

It might appear that there are more spiders in August than in early summer because they become much larger and more noticeable after going through several molts.

Without spiders, we would be overrun by insects. It is estimated that each year spiders eat enough insects to outweigh the entire human population. If you think about how many mosquitoes it would take to equal your own weight (about 200,000 mosquitoes per pound), perhaps you would be a little friendlier to spiders.

JIM GILBERT