The Night Shift

While we're finishing up the evening chores, a whole different crew is just clocking in. Have you ever been outside doing chores after dark with a headlamp on? Around here, sometimes the day just doesn't end when the sun goes down. The goats still need feeding, the horses are waiting, the donkeys have opinions about everything, and the chickens have already decided it's bedtime whether we're ready or not. So out comes the headlamp. And that's when I start noticing something I probably wouldn't see during the day. Eyes! Little eyes shining back at me from the grass, the fence line, underneath things, and sometimes from places where I really don't want to know what's hiding. And every now and then, like tonight, I'll stop and think... What in the world are all these little creatures doing out here? Well, it turns out that while we're finishing our chores, another shift is just getting started. Welcome to the Nighttime Shift! Spiders are some of the hardest-working little creatures on the farm, and most of the time we hardly notice them. They're out there catching and eating insects, including flies, moths, beetles, grasshoppers and other bugs that we'd probably rather have fewer of around our animals, gardens, barns and feed. Some spiders build beautiful webs and wait patiently for dinner to come to them. Others don't build webs at all. Wolf spiders, for example, are hunters. They roam around on the ground looking for prey, and they're especially active at night. And if you've ever walked around outside with a flashlight or headlamp and seen tiny points of light shining back at you from the ground... you may have just found one of them. That strange little glow happens because some spiders have a reflective layer behind their eyes that helps them see in low light. When your flashlight hits their eyes, some of that light reflects right back toward you. So those mysterious little "bug eyes" staring back at you? They're not necessarily waiting to scare you. They're working. Yes, the farm has a night crew. That's one of the things I love about living around animals and being outside. There is so much happening around us that we don't normally think of or see. During the day, we're busy feeding animals, fixing fences, moving hay, working in the garden, mowing, cleaning stalls and doing all the things that come with rural life, but when the sun goes down, the farm doesn't really shut down. The night shift takes over. Spiders are hunting. Moths and other insects are moving around. Frogs are catching bugs. Owls and bats are out looking for their next meal. And somewhere in the grass, under a board, along a fence or tucked into a corner of the barn, something else is quietly doing its part. It's an entire little ecosystem working while we're sleeping. Maybe we don't have to love spiders... And I'll be honest. I'm not saying I want a giant spider crawling across my shoulder while I'm carrying feed. There are definitely moments when my relationship with a spider is based on maintaining a respectful distance, but I've started looking at them a little differently. Instead of thinking, "how do I get rid of that?" Maybe sometimes the better question is: "What job are you doing?" Because on a farm, even the creatures we don't always notice, or don't particularly love can have a job. Spiders help keep insect populations in check and that's pretty valuable work. So the next time you're outside after dark and your flashlight catches a couple of tiny eyes shining back at you... Pause and take a second look. You just might be watching the farm's nighttime pest-control crew clock in for the evening. The sun may have gone down, but the work hasn't stopped. Welcome to the nighttime shift. Just nighttime thoughts. Be blessed whereever you are friends.