Save a Spider Day
Web Masters at Drusillas’ Encourage Visitors to ‘Save a Spider and help the Ecosytem’
Spiders are the topic of the day at Drusillas Park as staff get ready to celebrate ‘National Save a Spider Day’. In preparation for the day Drusillas Park’s very own Spiderwoman, Angela Hale, has been revealing some fascinating facts about these eight-legged creatures in an effort to show people why we should protect one of nature’s most important predators.
Celebrated every year on March 14th, ‘Save a Spider Day’ aims to raise awareness for arachnids and the vital role they play in our ecosystem.
Lovingly known as Tarangela amongst her colleagues, Angela knows almost all there is to know about arachnids. In addition to her work at Drusillas Park in East Sussex, Angela is also the secretary of the British Tarantula Society and has spent over thirty years studying and identifying our native eight legged friends; she even keeps a collection of over 150 spiders at home in her spare bedroom!
Angela commented: “Here in the UK we have over 800 different types of spider, none of which are dangerous to humans. On the contrary spiders are actually extremely helpful and harmless creatures, but despite this fact, they instil fear in many and have a terrible reputation.”
“What people don’t always realise is spiders are an integral part of the ecosystem and are working to help us. They eat the insects on your plants but never eat the plants, making them a garden’s greatest ally. However, even more importantly, these little wonders consume countless crop-destroying, disease-carrying insects annually saving both livelihoods and lives.”
“Save a Spider Day was created to encourage people to not kill spiders they find in their homes but rather to move it outside.”
“If you do find an unwanted guest, please bear in mind the wonderful work they do. Take the time to remove it humanely by gently placing a glass over the spider, then carefully pushing a piece of paper underneath; you can then move it outside and let it go.”
Angela spends a great deal of time trying to re-educate people about these amazing creatures and will be running Spider Phobia courses at Drusillas Park on Sunday 19th August and Saturday 29th September this year. The days will include a gradual and controlled exposure to a variety of spider species and will aim to help people overcome their fears and leave with a better understanding of these much maligned creatures.
Angela commented: “Our native spiders pose no threat to us. They are essential to our ecosystem; they are our friends, not our enemies so we need to find a way to learn to live alongside them. They really are more scared of you than you are of them, and would much rather run away.”
To find out more, please telephone 01323 874100 or click this link