“Granddaddy Longlegs,” Friend, Aug.–Sept. 1981, 19
Exploring:
Granddaddy Longlegs
My dad says its name is harvester or harvestman. But whenever I see one I call it granddaddy longlegs.
The encyclopedia tells me many things about granddaddy longlegs. Their bodies can be red, orange, green, yellow, or gray. Each leg is used for walking and has seven joints. They have two eyes. They live in lots of different places. Some live in caves. Others live under the bark of rotting trees.
Two males will often fight over a female. Later she will lay from one to two hundred and seventy eggs. Some may be laid in cracks or crevices. Others may be laid deep in the ground.
But there is one thing the encyclopedia didn’t tell me. I saw it for myself one hot summer day. A granddaddy longlegs crawled up the side of a pail full of water. At the top the granddaddy longlegs carefully held on with all his legs. Then he took a nice long drink. After his drink he crawled down and went on his way.
Illustrated by Colleen Hinckley