A kindred soul! We had one on our deck last week, and I struggled. Mike ended up squashing it, and I did think about it. I'm not sure I could have "put the boot down." We had a large black snake on our dirt road once. I hate snakes, I mean truly hate them in the sense they creep me out and scare me. But I understand their contributions to the ecosystem, and I guess "respect" them. My son also hates snakes and suggested I run it over. But I refused. I simply could never end the life of a creature that was minding its own business, going about its day, and not threatening me in any way. So I waited patiently in the car for the snake to move. It took some time, because the snake had been napping in the sun. But it moved, and we proceeded home, as did, I assume, the snake.
Oh gosh, this happened to me just two days ago :( Clearly I'm still bothered by it because my son and I spent time last night looking up about the SLF to know what it eats and it's "host" plants and why it might be here in our neighborhood. My only consolation was after it had been smushed the ants appeared to eat it
Well done, Alison - this conservation job is complicated and fraught with moral issues. We have to take deep breaths as we navigate through these issues one-by-one.
Perfect timing, Alison! I had a similar experience recently, where I was the stomper! I placed a leaf over top before smooshing them and immediately questioned myself. I've since seen a number of SLFs in various states. This post inspires the writer hiding in me.
A kindred soul! We had one on our deck last week, and I struggled. Mike ended up squashing it, and I did think about it. I'm not sure I could have "put the boot down." We had a large black snake on our dirt road once. I hate snakes, I mean truly hate them in the sense they creep me out and scare me. But I understand their contributions to the ecosystem, and I guess "respect" them. My son also hates snakes and suggested I run it over. But I refused. I simply could never end the life of a creature that was minding its own business, going about its day, and not threatening me in any way. So I waited patiently in the car for the snake to move. It took some time, because the snake had been napping in the sun. But it moved, and we proceeded home, as did, I assume, the snake.
Oh gosh, this happened to me just two days ago :( Clearly I'm still bothered by it because my son and I spent time last night looking up about the SLF to know what it eats and it's "host" plants and why it might be here in our neighborhood. My only consolation was after it had been smushed the ants appeared to eat it
Well done, Alison - this conservation job is complicated and fraught with moral issues. We have to take deep breaths as we navigate through these issues one-by-one.
Thank you for your good work!
Penelope
Perfect timing, Alison! I had a similar experience recently, where I was the stomper! I placed a leaf over top before smooshing them and immediately questioned myself. I've since seen a number of SLFs in various states. This post inspires the writer hiding in me.