You might not like spiders. But you want them in your garden.
While only a small percentage of the general population has a full-on case of arachnophobia, plenty of people find spiders just plain creepy. They lurk in dark corners, drop from above without warning and have a tendency to go scurrying around in a way many might find disconcerting. Pop culture has long painted the spider as the enemy — a furry, fanged foe to be feared.
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Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Florida woman wins annual python challenge with record snake haul
A Florida woman has been crowned the winner of the state's annual python challenge after raking in dozens of the invasive species in this year's competition. Taylor Stanberry placed first after wrangling 60 of the snakes during the 10-day competition in the Everglades, raking in a whopping $10,000 prize, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "I hunted every day from sundown to sunup looking for pythons," Stanberry told Fox News Digital. "It was tiring, but so worth it to save the native species here in Florida and to take home the title of first female Ultimate Grand Prize Winner." This year's competition wrangled in a record 294 invasive Burmese pythons, with over 900 participants from throughout the United States and Canada accepting the challenge in south Florida's swamp. "The 2025 Florida Python Challenge can go in the books as a success thanks to the hard work of staff, generous support from our partners, continued leadership of Governor DeSantis and involvement of the many competitors in this year's event," Rodney Barreto, FWC Chairman, said. Stanberry is the first woman to earn first place in the competition, while also breaking the previous record for most snakes caught since it began in 2013, FWC confirmed to Fox News Digital. She also works as a contract hunter for the state. "I am honored for that title," Stanberry said. "Not only because I work hard daily to save the Evergaldes and the native species that call the Evergaldes home, but also because there are tons of other hard-working hunters out there - many of them being amazing female contractors." The competition invites novice and professional snake catchers to Florida's Everglades in an attempt to cut down on the invasive species harming the state's wildlife. Participants are required to trap and humanely kill each snake. "Under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has taken unprecedented steps to remove invasive pythons, protect our natural resources and conserve native wildlife," South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member "Alligator Ron" Bergeron said, adding, "Long live the Everglades!"
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Washington Post
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — A very rare and apparently very confused subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin. A hunter scouting for deer first sighted the bird Sunday in a remote section of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Madison, the state's capital, said Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls. The hunter snapped some photos of the stork and sent them to Bahls, who doubles as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. Bahls confirmed that the bird in question was indeed a wood stork. He said it was likely a juvenile that may have hatched this spring since its bill was light-colored. Adult wood storks' bills typically turn black as they mature, he said. Bahls trekked into the wildlife area and saw the bird for himself on Monday, he said. Some other hikers also glimpsed the stork that day, he said. It hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning, when it was spotted flying northeast with a flock of pelicans, Bahls said. Wood storks are typically found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. They're listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. They're the only stork species that breeds in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wood storks typically grow as long as 35 to 45 inches (89 to 114 centimeters) with wingspans reaching around 5 1/2 feet (1.7 meters). Their heads and upper necks are covered with scaly gray skin rather than feathers. The only sound they can produce is a hissing noise. Climate change and habitat loss have been forcing birds north. Immature wood storks have no territory and typically explore during the late summer, Bahls said. The one that visited Wisconsin probably just got lost, he said. Birders flocked to Green Bay in August 2023 after a shorebird known as a roseate spoonbill was spotted in the area, the first sighting of such a bird in Wisconsin since 1845, and that bird was dead. Like the wood stork, that species is usually found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. Birders and scientists speculated that a storm blew the bird off course or, like the wood stork, it just got lost. 'It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up,' Bahls said. 'This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds.'
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Deer hunter discovers rare subtropical wood stork in the wilds of Wisconsin
A very rare, and apparently very confused, subtropical wood stork somehow found its way to the wilds of Wisconsin. A hunter scouting for deer first sighted the bird Sunday in a remote section of the Mud Lake Wildlife Area in Columbia County, about 35 miles northeast of Madison, the state's capital, said Horicon Marsh Bird Club President Jeff Bahls. The hunter snapped some photos of the stork and sent them to Bahls, who doubles as a wildlife technician for the state Department of Natural Resources. Bahls confirmed that the bird in question was indeed a wood stork. He said it was likely a juvenile that may have hatched this spring since its bill was light-colored. Adult wood storks' bills typically turn black as they mature, he said. Bahls trekked into the wildlife area and saw the bird for himself on Monday, he said. Some other hikers also glimpsed the stork that day, he said. It hasn't been seen since Tuesday morning, when it was spotted flying northeast with a flock of pelicans, Bahls said. Wood storks are typically found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. They're listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. They're the only stork species that breeds in the United States, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wood storks typically grow as long as 35 to 45 inches with wingspans reaching around 5 1/2 feet. Their heads and upper necks are covered with scaly gray skin rather than feathers. The only sound they can produce is a hissing noise. Climate change and habitat loss have been forcing birds north. Immature wood storks have no territory and typically explore during the late summer, Bahls said. The one that visited Wisconsin probably just got lost, he said. Birders flocked to Green Bay in August 2023 after a shorebird known as a roseate spoonbill was spotted in the area, the first sighting of such a bird in Wisconsin since 1845, and that bird was dead. Like the wood stork, that species is usually found in Gulf Coast states and Central and South America. Birders and scientists speculated that a storm blew the bird off course or, like the wood stork, it just got lost. "It's always fascinating where these birds come from and where they end up," Bahls said. "This is the time of year when we do get these oddball stray birds."
