Be wary of things that go bump in the night

Hunters and others who find themselves in the woods when dark approaches should beware things that glitter, flitter and go bump in the night.

There has been more than one hunter who has seen the glow of a hundred eyes, who has felt the flitter of mysterious wings and heard the things that go bump in the night. But what are these strange creatures?

Things that glitter

It isn't uncommon to see the reflective glow from the eyes of raccoons, opossums or the common house cat, but when there are hundreds of them you just may have stumbled upon a group of spiders.

Spiders live in almost every type of habitat in Missouri including our houses. You may find more of them right now in your homes as wolf spiders and others try to find a warm place to hide. Before you grab for your shoe to squish one, consider how wonderful they are.

Spiders are not insects. They belong to a class of organisms called arachnids. They have eight legs and eight eyes. With that many eyes each, it wouldn't take many spiders to give an unsuspecting person the heebeegeebees upon seeing a hundred glowing eyes at night.

In addition to being neatly designed, spiders also are important to us. On agriculture lands alone, spiders help destroy huge numbers of crop-damaging insects. It is estimated that there are about 2 1/2 million spiders in an acre of grassland. Each one will eat at least 1 insect each day. What a help!

Although I appreciate all the insects that spiders eat, I'm not sure I'd invite a spider to dinner. Their table manners leave something to be desired. Spiders use their fang-tipped jaws to inject a fluid that paralyzes their prey. Then they suck the victim's body fluids until it is just a shriveled husk. There are only two harmful types of spiders in Missouri (the black widow and the brown recluse).

Things that flitter

So, you have seen eyes that glitter. But what person adventuring outdoors at night has felt the flitter of wings past their head only to see the outline of a bat in the moonlight? Was it trying to attack and suck your blood? Only if you are an insect.

All Missouri bats feed exclusively on flying insects. Bats see quite well (though not in color) and they use echolocation (a type of sonar) to find their prey.

Bats catch insects in their mouths or by scooping them into their wings. The bat then reaches down and eats the insect. When you see or feel the darting acrobatics of a bat, rest assured they are eating insects and probably saving you from mosquito bites, too. Because insects aren't available in the winter, bats in Missouri will hibernate or migrate to warmer places.

Things that go bump in the night

I've explained things that glitter and things that flitter, but what about things that go bump in the night? That one is easy. It's me without my flashlight -- gosh those tree limbs hurt. But isn't nature great? Celebrate things that glitter, flitter, and go bump in the night this Halloween with these tasty treats:

Bat wings: Cut out fruit roll-ups into the shapes of bats. The texture of the fruit roll-up feels a lot like real bat wings, although bat wings aren't sticky and don't smell like berries.

Edible spiders: Make your own spiders with large marshmallows, chocolate, licorice ropes, and sugar sprinkles. Dip one large marshmallow into melted chocolate. Pull apart the licorice to make thin pieces. Place 8 pieces of licorice (four on each side) into the marshmallow to make the spider's legs. Use sugar sprinkles to represent the 8 eyes of spiders.

For more information on Missouri's spiders, bats, and other creatures visit www.missouriconservation.com

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A. J. Hendershott is the area outreach and education regional supervisor with the Missouri Department of Conservation.