Going Out

By Ed Wesely

A mystery spider. There are more than 200 species of wolf spiders in North America, so the small one I found on a snowmobile trail last Friday was, to me, “just a wolf spider.” I hadn’t a clue about its species—like sighting a sparrow, but without knowing if it’s a “song” or “chipping” sparrow.

The little fellow was about half-an-inch long, and appeared to be frozen onto the snow. But that wasn’t the case. When I touched it with a twig the wolf spider moved slightly and tried to crawl. A zip-lock bag with scraps for the chickens was still in my coat pocket, and proved to be a decent shelter for the spider.

Still surprised that it had the resilience to survive a frigid day on the surface of the snow, I carried it to the house and consulted a “Golden Guide” entitled “Spiders and Their Kin.” (The “Golden” paperback field guides are a miracle of publishing. Pocket sized, full of pictures, and covering several dozen natural history topics, they’re still a bargain at $5.95 each).

During warm months, the odds are that solitary spiders in garden furrows or running across the grass are wolf spiders. Even so, because they pursue and trap insects without spinning webs, they don’t advertise themselves. No silken webs or funnels mark their territories.

“At rest they stay under stones,” relates my Golden Guide. “Some dig short tunnels, others deep burrows… They have good vision and a highly developed sense of touch.”

But what brought my little captive to the surface of the snow on a frigid January day? And how did it get there? And what adaptation kept it stirring?

I don’t have answers. But thanks to a paragraph from the Golden Guide, I’m less astonished that the wolf spider wasn’t frozen stiff: “Some species are widespread over the Northern Hemisphere… They make up a large proportion of the spider population in the Arctic and on high mountains.”

Reassured by that information, I hiked through the snow a day later and deposited my now active spider in leaf-litter at the base of a giant maple tree—among knotted, south facing roots that are frequently 10 degrees warmer than the air temperature.

Bald eagle survey. On January 7, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) made a helicopter survey of eagles wintering on the Upper Hudson and Delaware Rivers—during the one brilliant, sunny day we’d had in early January!

Along a route that included the Hudson River, from Troy to Croton Point, NY, and the Delaware from Port Jervis to Hancock, a DEC team counted 234 eagles. They also received radio signals “from five previously tagged eagles.” My RiverTalk column has additional details.

Narrowsburg Eaglefest. Don’t forget that Saturday, January 18, is the date of Narrowsburg’s Eaglefest. Families should note that the day is “child friendly,” and that the program will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the school auditorium. For further information visit www.narrowsburg.org or call John at 845/252-7409.