Have you ever been so far out in the country that when night falls it’s really really dark?

So dark that you can see more stars than you’ve ever seen before?

So dark that at certain times of the year, the Milky Way looks like an ocean of stars in the sky above you?

So dark that without the moon, you can’t see where you are going?

Or so dark that when you go out late at night with a flashlight or headlamp, the grass lights up with what appears to be thousands of tiny shimmering emeralds?

All of the tiny green specks are spider’s eyes peering at you as you stare back, mesmerized by the glittering jewels sparkling all around you.

Living in the country, we understand that most spiders are our friends.

They eat so many nuisance insects and are more of a help than a hindrance.

But when it turns dark, they are also the jewels of the night, decorating the fields with tiny pinpricks of glimmering green light.

Who knew that spiders could be so enchanting?