Sorry for the quiet week. Between our trip to the National Barrow Show in Austin, Minnesota, and the sweltering heat when we got back, it was tough to find time for updates. Every evening, one of our team heads out for what I like to call a “bed check”, a nightly round after dark to make sure all the animals are safe and settled. It’s remarkable what you can notice at night if you’re paying attention. Tonight, I spotted this female Wolf spider in the gilt paddock. If you look closely, you’ll notice hundreds of tiny spiderlings clinging to her back. With the exception of fiddlebacks (Brown Recluse) and Black Widows, we never kill spiders on the farm. Insects and arachnids are essential to a thriving ecosystem. Wolf spiders, for instance, are hardworking predators that patrol the ground at night, keeping populations of roaches, ants, and crickets in check. Both web-spinning and ground-dwelling spiders serve important purposes, working through the night to help reduce pests that threaten crops, livestock, and people. As Dr. Jonathan Lundgren of the Ecdysis Foundation points out, farms rich in invertebrate diversity, including spiders, experience the least crop damage. So next time you’re tempted to squash a spider, remember how valuable they are to the farm and the balance of nature. -Leo #EcdysisFoundation
