The spider on the wall is totally harmless

• Spider

Photo by Larry Weber for the Budgeteer A climbing crab spider alights on a kitchen wall in its usual pose.

Talk about it

With the coming of January, we get ready for the cold and snow so often associated with this month in the Northland. The celebrations of December are past and now we face the chilly season at its coldest times. The snow and cold, along with plenty of darkness (though the days have already begun getting longer), makes for a hard time for some Northlanders each year. And those of us who have dealt with many Januaries learned to cope, and even enjoy this winter month. Whether it is snow and ice sports or various indoor activities that have been pushed off from the warmer times, we move through these days with relative ease.

I find that watching the activities of the local wildlife that winter here with us helps on any winter day. Often they come to us, as the birds of the cold season visit our bird feeders. No matter the temperatures or other wintry conditions, the chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches are present. And, in watching regularly, I see that their actions are quite dynamic. Though the species will not vary much through the days, the numbers are seldom the same. Various ones come and go, along with the regulars that arrive each day. Later in the winter, we usually see more of the flocks of finches that have been wintering nearby. Besides the birds, a few local squirrels keep the scene more interesting. At night these same feeders host the activities of about a dozen flying squirrels. These nocturnal rodents give quite a show on the cold nights. Seldom are they slowed or stopped by winter weather. Now with the new snow cover, animal tracks abound and my daily walks are kept more interesting as I read the messages they leave on this white backdrop. And in the last few weeks, another critter has been wintering here too. And this one is within the house.

A few weeks ago while I was in the kitchen, I glanced up to see a spider high on the wall. With a dark body on the light-colored background, the critter was easy to see. And with its leg pattern, size and sedentary pose, the spider could readily be identified. I was looking at a climbing crab spider. (The name “crab spider” comes from the way it holds its front legs, looking like a crab.) This kind of spider is common in the Northland, but with a dark body and a life spent on the bark of trees, it is often overlooked. This is not the first one that I have seen indoors; and they usually do the same as they do outdoors: climb. And these crab spiders go up walls, even hanging onto the ceiling in their movements. To the spider, the room is like a strange-looking tree. During the warm times, other crab spiders hide among flowers in a camouflage method of hunting insects. Climbing spiders are more active in their pursuit of food. (They are sometimes called “running crab spiders.”) Like other crab spiders, they do not build webs.

This one in the house must have come in during the fall and found a good place to stay. As we went through the days of December, I often saw this new resident high on the wall, near the ceiling. With the mild temperatures experienced so far this winter, we may have other critters, namely insects, in the house too. And I’m sure that this spider is locating and feeding on many that I’m not even aware of. Despite what we often hear about these animals, this group of spiders, the Philodromids, is totally harmless. And it proves to be another good and welcome companion to see here during the winter. I hope to see it many more times during the coming cold weeks.

Tags: budge columnist, budgeteer