You’ve swallowed a spider and nothing happened, so relax about these beautiful, plentiful, essential creatures that are beyond fascinating. Most, by far, are harmless to humans. Like us, they have no wings, and like us, some can fly. Spiders are usually quite home-bound; they live in a small area most of their lives. But hey! they can launch themselves up – ‘ballooning’ they call it, or ‘kiting’ – and fly next door, or next town, or next country – up to 500kms and more, and up to 5km above the ground. ‘Strue! And they make their own parachute. We have to buy or rent our paraglider wing.
Spiders from my garden in this lockdown year. Oh, except the tiny jumping spider on my Hi-Tec shoe – that was in Sand Forest Lodge in Zululand.
turquoise araneus 
spider on my shoe 
bark 
bark spider unraveled 
rain 
ant mimic 
tiny jumping 
eating a shield bug
If you see swifts and swallows darting about feeding mid-air, part of their diet might be spiderlings.
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Actual pic of a Rockspider’s first flight outside Bulwer, KZN:
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That spider you swallowed? You’ve probably swallowed a spiderling without even noticing it. Here’s a fully-grown one similar to my ‘tiny jumping’ shown above which I photographed in my meadow.
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Bewilderbeast Droppings 
Spiders have always had protected status in my house. Much to the concern of my family, I’m happy to pick the little creatures up when they cause distress to one of the giant human beings, and place it somewhere where it cannot do any further mental harm to the giants.
I often come across these tiny creatures in places that would appear otherwise uninhabitable. On snow fields at altitude… not even birds venture here, because there’s nothing to be gained here for them. Antelope, deer, and other creatures are all either hibernating, or have migrated to lower altitudes where they’d be able find food. The only creatures left inhabiting the uninhabitable the tiny little eight legged creatures…
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