Now I know a lot of folks have an (irrational) fear of spiders, but I think they are pretty cool. There are estimates that put the number of spiders per acre in the 1,000,000 range!
Most of them are tiny and pass unnoticed, but I found a way to get an idea of just how many there are in my backyard (or, at least one particular type - the Wolf spider). I noticed that when I took my dogs out at night to do their business, I would often see very tiny reflections on the ground, like dewdrops. It turns out that Wolf spiders have eyes that act like retro-reflectors (like lane markers). When I hold my bright flashlight up at eye level (I actually put it on my forehead, and point it where I’m looking), I can see thousands of tiny glowing dots on the ground - and each one is a little spider! I tried to take a photo, but it wasn’t as impressive as the real thing. I’ll try again later.
Try it, and see if they are as plentiful where you live…
