Biography:
Some disclaimers:
My moods change with the wind, which leads to an obsessive urge to edit things.
Sometimes my comments are long when I feel like I know what I'm talking about (that doesn't mean I'm right, though).
I want to absorb as much information as possible from every contributor, so please freely flaunt your factoids!
I have a strange and sometimes reckless sense of humor.
I crave feedback, both positive and negative.
I use a lot of exclamation marks which are signs of excitement and enthusiasm; they do not mean I am yelling at you. Lol.
I prefer my solitude out here in the trees...and it catches up with me when I realize I am typing 'disclaimers' about myself on a bug website at two 'o clock in the morning.
Hello, my name is Mandy and I’m a spideraholic. I have practiced a relaxed form of auto-didacticism most of my life. That's just a fancy word for 'self-taught'. I am fueled by curiosity and only satisfied by knowledge. I guess mostly I'm just a very inquisitive goof-ball.
I have always had a HUGE appreciation for the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer us. At this particular point in time, I love to photograph and study that beauty as often as I possibly can. For quite some time now I have been restlessly obsessed with arachnids and the seemingly unnoticed little lives they lead right under our noses. If only I had one of those cameras with all the larger-than-life attachments! The kind that disrupts the curvature of your spine if you use it too long. Haha. But currently, as far as the equipment I do have...most things aren't exactly in my price range. I have my trusty Canon Powershot A540, recently acquired conversion lens and 10x macro (a birthday gift, thank you dad), two computers (one on it's death bed), and I occasionally borrow my dad's tripod (which is probably circa 1950). That's pretty much my arsenal. Because of this, some of what I study and 'investigate' is sometimes badly documented, except for the scribbles on the post-it notes cluttering my…uh…well I guess it can be considered a desk. At least it’s flat. Lol.
I have many favorite spiders that are always rotating through my mind (and my jars), but perhaps the most spoiled at the moment would be the
Steatoda grossa. My fascination with the species began a little over a year ago when I rescued an injured adult female and placed her in a terrarium. I became obsessed with her and was so interested in watching her go about her nightly routines that I just didn't want to release her. I added a male to the scene which resulted in many egg sacs and many fun 'tap dance' shows. I continue to rear the spiderlings as best as I can so that I can keep studying the species in an up close and personal manner. It is quite convenient that I have chosen to focus more on this species because it just so happens that my house is crawling with them, inside and out. Over the years they have become more and more numerous...often living in my shoes and under many of the loose baseboards.
Although the
grossa seem to be sort of my 'specialty', I love all spiders. My kitchen (yes, where I eat) is completely over-come with jars and terrariums and cricket containers, etc. As you can imagine, I try not to have company over! I do a lot of nocturnal safaris around my property nearly every night and I continue to add to my unorganized collection. I'm sort of getting overwhelmed with specimens and the boisterous chirping crickets make me feel like I'm going insane. lol. I don't preserve my specimens in order to keep them saved in a jar. The only time I use alcohol is when I want some epigyne or palp photos without the setae in the way. And after I've gotten the best photos that my camera can get, I discard the spider. My stomach lurches when I see them dying in a chemical as it is...and I just can't stand looking at them in a jar after that. Hence, the clutter of live specimens taking over my kitchen. My goal for most of them is to photograph them and hopefully let them go alive. But it seems that I never quite get around to it lately...I just keep giving them food and water. So they're alive and healthy but taking up far too much space!
Seems like this biography is taking up too much space, too. lol. In person, I'm pretty quiet...but give me a keyboard and I go on a rampage! I type a lot in my BugGuide comments also. I would imagine that there are other contributors here who I’ve already annoyed.
Lets see...I have no formal training in entomology or arachnology. I am extremely self-taught. I’ve always excelled in science and art, whether in the classroom or at home. I completed a total of four years of college (at two different schools) but didn't graduate. I was left with a hefty school loan and the decision that I had majored in the wrong field. It's hard to finally realize after four years that art is just your hobby, not your career! lol. I have always LOVED most fields of science. As a younger person I always thought that I would be an archeologist or a paleontologist when I 'grew up'. But now that I am nearing that 'all grown up' phase, I am overwhelmed and unsure of what my next step might be.
I have been a sort of recluse for the last couple years. I live in an area that seems to be conducive to my 'loner' lifestyle. And I like it out here in the trees! So perhaps this lifestyle is what is compelling me to write so much. I guess it has to come out somehow? Seven paragraphs to people I don't even know...is that over the top or what? lol.
I look forward to talking spiders and bugs with you all!
Wow, did you read this whole thing? Thank you for taking the time.
-->Mandy Howe
