I got a few lifers this week, including, earlier today, a trip to Cliffs of the Neuse, which I haven’t visited in years. But my favorite was from much closer to home.
It isn’t a lifer in the strict sense, because I shared my home with one in South Carolina when I worked at the Savannah River Site; but it is an iNat lifer. It is my favorite for two reasons. First, as a kid I was taught to leave spiders alone because they are useful for keeping down flies. The house where I grew up usually had a few cellar spiders in their cobwebs up by the ceiling or in odd corners, and – I know most people disagree – I find that a house just feels more like a home when I am sharing it with eight-legged friends.
The second reason is that it is named after Kukulcan, the Mayan feathered-serpent god. I have always been fascinated with ancient civilizations, and the Maya are one of my favorites.