Here comes the BOI!! I may have had to say a sad goodbye to Jackie some time ago, but now I have a genuine Jakey-boy! Lookit his legs! Jake’s got some good-looking long legs on him! And his little punchy pedipalps! I love him

Jackie hopes you are all having a lovely day, and would like you to know that you should never let anyone else tell you who to be. You are you, and that is the most important thing.

For more updates on Jackie, this is where I post all that good stuff. Since I am her caretaker and dutiful butler, after all. ;)

@jabbers-wild-world submitted: Jackie would like to say hello to everybody! And of course she’s looking absolutely radiant today.

She looks STUNNING. Please tell her she’s perfect at least three time per day.

So I’ve learned that my sweet Jake...... is actually Jaqueline, aka Jackie! He’s a she! So yeah! I am sorry for misgendering you this whole time, sweetie. But I’m glad you’ve been such great company for me too. So gentle and sweet, and not all that opposed to handling, which is a nice plus.

Suppertime for Jake! Since spiders like Jake only need to eat once every two days, it took a while to capture him actually feeding. He’s been pretty secretive on the first feeding, but now, I actually watched him chase down the cricket I gave him!

Wolf spiders are incredible hunters, with some of the best vision of any spider, and like their namesake, they chase their prey. They don’t sit in a web and wait like some spiders do. Though while there’s nothing wrong with the web trick, it’s pretty impressive to see a spider go darting after an equally fast-moving cricket, and actually catch it!! And, while yes, I do feel sorry for the cricket, a spider’s gotta eat.

Announcement!

So, I meant to make a post here a while ago when we had a few days of really nice, warm weather. Last you guys heard from me, I had somewhere around twelve wooly bear caterpillars in my care and keeping, and they were sleeping through the winter. Well, they have now all pupated as of four days ago, and they all grew up into such lovely Isabella Tiger Moths!! And, of course, wouldn’t you know it, when I released them on the warmest day of this week, I forgot to film it for you guys!!

I know, I know. Shame on me. It was such an exciting event of about twelve adult moths getting to take their first flight in the warm spring weather... And I totally neglected to capture it and share it with you guys.. I’m terrible, I know. But! I have even more exciting news for you all! And this news also means that the blog name will be changing again.

But it’s because we have a new star of the show! And he will be helping me to learn all about his species, and share my knowledge with you guys, so hopefully we can all better understand and respect a creature that.. some people may find a little unsettling. I bet you guys are now going through a list in your head wondering what this new star is gonna be. A centipede? A cockroach? Oh, please say it isn’t a bedbug!! Nope! None of the above, my friends.

Now.. I hope you’re ready for the big reveal, folks! The star! The king! The pièce de résistance! Because without further ado, I’d like to introduce everyone to....

JAKE THE WOLF SPIDER! I do believe he is specifically a male tigrosa helluo, which is commonly in my area. So far he’s been happy and healthy, even though I’ve only had him for a couple of days. But I do hope you guys love him as much as you loved Stubbs. He was named by my partner, and I actually didn’t realize the joke they’d made until they explained it.

What is he? A wolf spider. What is Jake usually short for? Jacob. They made a Twilight joke and I didn’t even realize it. But, well, the name has definitely stuck, so yeah! Meet Jake, everybody! My current plan for the future with him, is that he will be an educational pet. My cousins have young kids, and they are fascinated with spiders and insects, and other crawly things. So how better to teach kids how to respect spiders, than to give them safe and easy exposure to a docile, eight-legged friend like a wolf spider! Not to mention, as much as I don’t recommend it to anyone who’s not completely sure what they’re dealing with as well as the typical disposition of the species, Jake has been great with the occasional handling I’ve given him.

I now have ten wooly bears, folks! Feel free to ask about them and what they’re names are, or anything else you want to know! ;)

One. Two.. Three?!

Yes, that’s right, folks. There are now three wooly bears in my care, and I’d like everyone to say hello to the newest member of the family; Prince Woolenburg!

Following the leader

“Oh, hello!”

“Wait for me!!”

Caterpillar management

Okay, folks. Now I’m putting out the call for any artists who want to design a new header for the blog!

It’ll be a contest, and whoever makes the best header will of course have their artwork featured here on the blog, and will of course be given credit to boost their efforts, and an exclusive photo of one of the buggy babies, i.e. Baron, Baroness, Flotsam or Jetsam, or perhaps a visitor I’ve come across around town.

You will also have my undying love and appreciation, since I can’t really offer much more. I’m broke, so no monetary prizes, sorry.

Also, there will be a featured photo of one of the buggy babies with your art. They are the judges after all! ;)

So yeah. You have free reign on creating the header for the blog, and you may submit art of any of the buggy babies. Whether you choose the Baron, the Baroness, or Flotsam or Jetsam, all art received will be posted on the blog with credit given, whether it wins the contest or not.

So, come on, ladies and gents and non-binary friends! Show me your best buggy art!!

Baron and Baroness

They’ve both put on some good weight before winter. His stripe is wider than hers, and that’s how I can tell who’s who, lol. Also he’s just a touch bigger than she is. And look at her looking at him, she’s turned her little head towards him, and honestly that’s just adorable.

Okay, folks. Now I’m putting out the call for any artists who want to design a new header for the blog!

It’ll be a contest, and whoever makes the best header will of course have their artwork featured here on the blog, and will of course be given credit to boost their efforts, and an exclusive photo of one of the buggy babies, i.e. Baron, Baroness, Flotsam or Jetsam, or perhaps a visitor I’ve come across around town.

You will also have my undying love and appreciation, since I can’t really offer much more. I’m broke, so no monetary prizes, sorry.

Also, there will be a featured photo of one of the buggy babies with your art. They are the judges after all! ;)

So yeah. You have free reign on creating the header for the blog, and you may submit art of any of the buggy babies. Whether you choose the Baron, the Baroness, or Flotsam or Jetsam, all art received will be posted on the blog with credit given, whether it wins the contest or not.

So, come on, ladies and gents and non-binary friends! Show me your best buggy art!!

stubbs-the-stag => the-wooly-baron

Also, heads up, everybody. I am going to be changing my blog name, since Stubbs has unfortunately passed away. But! We do have a new star ready to be loved, so the blog will be shifting to reflect that.

We all love and miss Stubbs, but Baron is very excited to get to know everyone, and Stubbs would want us to love the new guy just as much as we loved him.