LIVES OF SPIDERS
Issue 13, Autumn 2021
photo by John F. Williams
LIVES OF SPIDERS
Issue 13, Autumn 2021
WELCOME TO THE AUTUMN 2021
ISSUE OF SALISH MAGAZINE!
[Table of Contents is below]
Christine Longdon, Guest Managing Editor
As Autumn slowly creeps in, I start to notice the subtle, yet not so subtle, seasonal changes. Cooler and wetter weather, shorter daylight hours, leaves changing from green to vibrant reds, yellows and oranges, and the morning dew on the artistically woven webs of spiders.
This is also the time of year I tend to see more eight legged critters hanging about near my outdoor lights, zip-lining across my path and creating intriguing obstacles to capture their next meal. Maybe because they are, literally, in my face in the fall I take more notice, but I know they are here with us all year around…
It has taken me years to lessen my fears of spiders and learn to respect and appreciate them for what they are, why they are so amazing and their importance to our environment.
I have learned I am not a food source, nor do they purposely stalk me, and I have found myself spending a fair amount of time observing and photographing them.
Don Willott and Claire Voris photographing a spider web in Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park. photo by John F. Williams
When we first started out trying to get articles for this issue, it wasn’t looking promising and we had many questions as to why. Doesn’t anybody love spiders? Doesn’t anybody care? They can be fuzzy and some can be kind of cute, right? Some people even have them as pets– I saw it on the internet! (They may not take them for walks or play frisbee with them, but apparently they enjoy them.)
To our happy surprise and delight, articles, stories and poems started slowly trickling in!
Yes! We can run a spider issue!
I have to say, it has personally been fun to learn more and gain an even greater appreciation of spiders from the writers featured in this issue. Through their knowledge and creativity we hope you too will enjoy.
As with anything in life, the more you learn, the more you grow and gain the ability to enjoy and appreciate things. Especially the little eight (or is it ten?) legged, two (or ten?) eyed things in life.
Spider Mating Dance. photo by Christine Longdon
Crab Spider. photo by Christine Longdon
Crab Spider. photo by Christine Longdon
Table of Contents
The Harvestman
by Thomas and Sara Noland
Autumn 2021
This visitor has an oval-shaped, gray-brown body looking too small for the span of its super long black legs. This is the harvestman, and it’s actually not a spider at all
Rackny the Jumping Spider
by Adelia Ritchie, PhD
Autumn 2020
Over time, my early arachnophobia gradually morphed into fascination and deep respect. I distinctly remember the day I actually fell in love with a little jumping spider
Web Masters
by Barb Erickson
Autumn 2021
They’re everywhere! They’re everywhere! Birds and insects feast and a few furry critters munch on them. Spiders who escape lie in wait, meticulously weaving their webs.
Jumping spider
by Bob Gillespie
Autumn 2021
Not all spiders use their ability to produce webbing in the same manner. There is a family of spiders, called jumping spiders that use their web more like Spiderman.
Spiderlings
by Adria Magrath
Autumn 2021
Bright yellow with a central sharp black spot and tiny spiny spicules for legs, hundreds of babies as tiny as lizard eyes move along gossamer threads seeking their purpose.
Poetry-13
by Assorted
Autumn 2021
The theme of this issue is Lives of Spiders. Different families of spiders use different approaches to secure their meals. These poems celebrate the web makers.
Salish Magazine
Publisher: John F. Williams
Guest Managing Editor: Christine Longdon
This magazine is a nonprofit project of:
SEA-Media
P.O. Box 1407 Suquamish WA 98392
info@sea-media.org www.salishmagazine.org
Copyright SEA-Media, 2021
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without consent of copyright owner is strictly prohibited.
SEA-Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation
Extra special thanks to:
Sara & Tom Noland. Adelia Ritchie, Grant Blackinton, Susan W. Merrill, Sheila Kelley, Phillip Rosaaen, and all of the credited authors and image contributors.
Sincere thanks also to our Patreon patrons:
Babara Wilhite
Barbara Brooking
Becky Street
Beverly Parsons
Brooke Thompson
Carolyn E Hart
Jeffrey Duda
John A Wiles PhD
John Willett,
Judy Atkins
Marie Magrath
Melissa Fleming
Phillis Carey
Ray Garrido
Robyn Johnson
Sara Wade
Tena Doan and Earl Doan
Wendy McClure
And sincere thanks to our all of our other donors, especially these from 2021:
John & Marguerite Altree
Elizabeth Bamber
Joan Beard Photography
J. Frisbee Campbell
Charles D. Champlin Jr.
James & Marilyn DeRoy
Judith Duncan
Jeanne Ferris
Melissa Fleming
Gwen Foor
Mike Freeman
Kim Greenwood
Albert Gunby
Gregory Hiatt
Kevin Jackman
Andrea Jessoe
Robert Johnston
Kitsap Audubon Society
Diane Landry
Jayne and Paul Larson
Lisa Macchio
Susan McDonald
Thomas McDonald
John McKenzie
Emily Morgan
Tania Opland
Elisabet Orville
Carmon Rene Parisi
Ann Randlette
Amy Roszak
Stephen Rubin
Ron & Nancy Sefton
Marie Sprandel
David & Kathleen Thorne
Philene Vaivods
John van den Meerendonk
Catherine Whalen
Clay Wilson
Sharyn Woerz
Penelope R. Wood
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Thanks so much for your interest and your support.