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Sunday, January 16, 2011

and a spider in a pear tree

Spiders receive too much bad press, few people see the gentle protective side of their intentions. My bundle of sticks that became a flourishing pear tree full of polished leaves and blossom , had begun to wither. Upon closer inspection I noticed slimey black grubs eating the leaves. I carefully removed the affected leaves and waited. No sprays, no powders, just waited and wondered if anybody would care to help this purple thumbed gardener. I didn't know what the predator was.
Yesterday I noticed a sudden emergence of new bright leaves, and not one grimey bug to be seen. Just for the fun of it, I blew on the leaves....and a spider dropped down briefly on a thread and quickly ran back to his perch. He was well camoflaged, so I couldn't quite be sure that he was there. So I blew on him again, and down came the silk thread, waved and then returned to his citadel.
The tree is recovering well, thanks to my sentry.
Next time you see a spider, don't scream or swat, consider his courageous role in protecting you from insects that attack and deliberately harm and destroy.

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