The chicken is a friendly fowl that has gone mostly unappreciated in popular culture these days. Other than the iconic images of the rooster crowing in the morning and the egg-laying hen, most people have no idea of their history or how much of an influence these barnyard birds have had on humanity. Occasionally, before my current interest in the chicken, a tidbit of trivia about these birds would gain my attention and ultimately add to my amazement. For instance, did you know that the chicken is one of the first animals widely domesticated by humans? Although the dog, considered to have been domesticated first, is man's best friend, the chicken is at least man's tastiest friend. The chicken is not only one of man's oldest friends but it is also the oldest concerning its bloodline. The chicken is a direct descendant in a royal lineage going all the way back to the Tyrannosaurs Rex! The great king of the dinosaurs is now reduced to the barnyard jester we have in today's chicken. But that was long, long ago, when chickens had teeth. Yes, my friends, the chicken has a long and interesting history in its own right, but what I find most interesting is how much you find references to chickens in our everyday language.
    A book can be written about man's relationship with the chicken throughout history and this is reflected in our use of chicken idioms and references in our language. References to chickens are often used to describe situations in our daily human lives. After actually raising some chickens I can now see many similarities between chickens and people. At this point, you have guessed that I own some chickens and that I am straying into the lunatic fringe with all this, good guess. I can't say if we adopted their ways or if the chickens adopted our ways, but they have a lot in common with us. For example . . .
    Many people today are "scratching out a living" and trying to "feather their nest" to make a "nest egg" from the "chicken feed" that is their wages. Everyone is getting "up with the chickens" and running around "like a chicken with its head cut off" hoping to not "chicken out" while they think about "flying the coop". Those people with money to invest are careful to not "put all their eggs in one basket". Of course, extra money is as "scarce as hen's teeth" for everyone these days.
   I am not too proud to say that I am "henpecked" and everyone must agree that there is a "pecking order", just ask your boss who "rules the roost". I try not to "brood over it" and normally end up "making chicken salad out of chicken poop", but I'm "no spring chicken" anymore, at least that's what the "chicks," say. No matter what I do, I hope that I'm not just "hatching rooster eggs" and I won't give you some "cock and bull story" about it and end up with "egg on my face". Of course, I hope that all my "squawking" hasn't "ruffled your feathers" too much because I'm not trying to be the "cock of the walk", I'm just trying to "hatch an idea". I'm not a "bad egg" really but I feel that I'm "sticking my neck out" when I have to "walk around on eggshells" and it just gets "stuck in my craw". I'm "madder than a wet hen" but I hope I haven't "laid an egg" and make it seem like I'm just a "dumb cluck".

    Whenever most people think of the Black Widow spider they think of an evil-looking black spider with a red hourglass on its belly that can give a poisonous and even fatal bite. Then, if given a little more thought one might think about how she eats the male of her species after mating and lives somewhere in the southwestern states. All of this is true for the Southern Black Widow, but most people don't know that Michigan has the Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus). This northern variety is found throughout the eastern US, from southern Canada south to Florida, and west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
   In Michigan, they are common in the western Lower Peninsula. Its habitat is fields, clearings, and roadsides with sparse vegetation. They prefer making webs in stumps, hollow logs, and piles of debris. In the northern black widow, the red hourglass marking on the abdomen is split into two triangles. Northern widows also have a series of red spots along the dorsal midline of the abdomen, and many have a series of lateral white stripes as well. The body of the female is about one inch long including the legs. The males, which are harmless, are only approximately one-half of the females' size. The males have light streaks on the sides of the abdomen, with no red markings. The web is an irregular mesh of strands where the spider hangs in an inverted (upside down) position. Her eggs hang in the web and are encased in a whitish egg sac which she guards until they hatch.
    Although common, black widow bites are not frequent as the spider is actually very timid and will flee when disturbed. The venom of a black widow spider is 15 times more toxic than the poison of a rattlesnake bite, but due to the small amount injected in the spider bite, widows are far less serious. There is about a 1% mortality (mostly children) of persons bitten by black widows. The toxin affects the central nervous system. The bite is followed by burning, local swelling, and redness. Two puncture points may be visible. Pain is felt soon after the bite, and increases for a few hours. Pain and nausea may last for 48 hours. If bitten by a Northern Black Widow contact your physician immediately. The Southern Black Widow (L. mactans), is considered more dangerous than the Northern because of its larger range and willingness to come indoors.
    After moving to Newaygo County, I've encountered four Northern Black Widows. Three were out in the open, in or around a plant or bush that supported its web, and one was under a board. All of them ran into a shallow tunnel dug into the soil below their webs. One had a big ripe egg sack she was protecting until I walked up to the web and she went down her hole. The webs can be as tall as knee-high, so it would be a good idea to wear long pants in areas where the Northern Black Widow is known to be found. Personally, I'm more afraid of a hornet's nest or deer ticks.