My favorite time of day is just at dawn in early summer, when there is just enough freshness in the air, enough coolness, to invite me outside. I listen to the sounds and inhale the fragrances of that time of morning, while I walk through our yard or simply sit to enjoy the quiet. You've most likely seen the rays of the early morning sun shine through the leaves and mist, but have you noticed the spider webs?

Yes, webs! There are dozens of webs stretched from hither to yon--everywhere! Most of the time, without the sunlight at just the right angle, we don't see them. They can be shimmering things of beauty in the early morning light.

RCPL has books on spider identification, and there are a couple of online sources to help identify spiders that can be found in our state. I've used one Web site below (Spiders in South Carolina) to identify one particular variety of spider--the Crablike Spiney Orb Weaver--that builds numerous webs in one location in our front yard. Of course, South Carolina has an official State Spider, the Carolina Wolf Spider. It's been a while since I've seen one of those (and that's OK!).

Of course, we all know that some spiders can be considered dangerous, such as the brown recluse spider and black widow spider, to name the most common ones, but spiders do have a responsible place in the world. I'm not a lover of spiders, but it is good to know a bit about their interesting benefits. In The Book of the Spider, Paul Hillyard writes that, "Spiders are more important to humans in the balance of nature than most other groups of animals," citing that, "without predators such as spiders, a pest population explosion can be expected." (pp. 179-180) You'll also enjoy reading folklore, myths and literature about spiders in Hillyard's book. Other books in our collection have additional interesting facts about spiders, including the various web structures. Even though Halloween has passed, with Daylight Saving Time, sunrise is earlier, and we'll need to know about these little stealthy creatures!