Florida Cracker Jim Stafford sings: "I don't like spiders and snakes, and that's not what it takes to love me." This Cracker Girl would rather have spiders and snakes than the creepy insects that live in Florida.
I really don't mind spiders. In fact, I was taught never to kill a spider because they are good luck. There were the little grey spiders that I'd play with, if I could catch one. Even now, if there is a spider in the house, I'll take her out and release her. We always have at least one big spider web and its occupant in our front ivy garden--she is welcome to stay and eat as many insects as she can! However, there is one Florida spider that I don't handle and that, even I, find a bit intimidating--The Banana Spider. Now, these were never found in the Miami suburbs. I first saw one on a childhood camping trip. Admittedly, I backed off a bit. Biggest spider I had ever seen! However, they are really beautiful, with their bright colors. My brother has been known to pick them up and let them rest in his beard. I'm not quite that friendly with them. There are many people who do not like spiders, so I'm sure they would not want to encounter a Banana spider!
 |
| Banana Spider |
There is one insect that I have always been terrified by, and I have been assured that they don't DO anything to people. I don't really believe it, though. That is the Lubber grasshopper. Nothing I hated more than being out playing hide-and-seek in Grandmother's hedges and coming across one of them. They are so big. Big ole boogly eyes. I suspect they can fly pretty well. Mommy told me that when I was maybe 3 or 4 that I kept one in a glass jar as a pet. I do not remember that, nor do I want to. My uncles James and Larry had them, so I insisted on having one as well. When there was one on our plants, Grandmother would just grab her shoe and smash it, while I was running far, far away! When we moved up to North Central Florida, I discovered the juvenile Lubber. One year, we went up to Ginny Springs, and as we walked, there were literally hundreds of black hoppers with a red or yellow stripe down their bodies. A little research, and I realized I had been introduced to baby Lubbers. Nope. I don't like them any more than the adult ones. Grandmother had good reason to smash them; they are very destructive to gardens.
 |
| Juvenile Lubber |
 |
| Lubber Grasshopper |
Finally, no discussion of Florida critters would be complete without discussing our roaches. Now, I don't mean the little German roaches; I mean the big, flying cockroaches that every Floridian has encountered sometime in his or her life. Many people mistakenly call them "Palmetto Bugs," but that is a whole different roach. I'm talking about the big roaches that really don't live inside in large numbers, but they do come indoors, especially during rainy season or if you have uncovered dog food! People from Up North have a difficult time understanding that the odd flying roach or two is just a fact of Florida life.I learned very early in life that these roaches will show up in the most unexpected places. My best friend Dana, her sisters, and I decided, one summer day, to pull down the "bark" that surrounded the top of their coconut palm with intentions of making hula skirts. Imagine our surprise when hundreds of roaches came flying out at us! Four little girls shrieking at the top of our lungs and batting away flying roaches as we ran. To this day, there is nothing more frightening than sitting quietly, watching TV, and then hearing IT. The whir of the wings, then the silhouette of the roach--body hanging down--as it flies across the room and lands on the wall. General confusion ensues with someone finally getting brave enough to squash the roach. In my time, I've squashed them with shoes, magazines, newspapers; I've sprayed them with spray starch and hair spray. Mostly, I get my husband to take care of it, while I cower. Everyone has "that" roach story. My husband had one fly into his mouth while he was sleeping. I had one crawl onto a student's long hair during class. And only one boy was brave enough to squash it and throw it away--in the outside trash can. I would almost claim that once you've battled--and won--against a Florida flying roach, you can call yourself a True Florida Cracker.
No comments:
Post a Comment