Jacob Vaughn, a citizen of Ohio, was washing some broccoli that he had recently purchased from the grocery store when he saw something black perched on top of one of the stalks.
Not just any spider, though; this one was special.
She had red markings on her back and was otherwise a poisonous black widow.
“The spider came out and started waving its hands,” Vaughn told WTOL. “[She] did not seem pleased.”
Thinking fast, Vaughn carefully plucked the spider from the broccoli with a pair of tongs and placed her in a bag. He then got in touch with Cheryl Garcia, of Another Chance Sanctuary, who knew right away that she needed to take in the little spider.
“She looked so frantic,” Garcia told. “How she managed to survive all the steps that broccoli had to go through before getting to the store is a surprise in itself.”
A friend of Garcia’s was able to transport the spider, then nicknamed Broccoli, to the rescue. Because black widows are a non-native species in Ohio, releasing her outside was not an option. Luckily, Garcia is very well-versed in spider care, having rescued and adopted out many in the past.
In the past, Garcia admitted, “I’ve always had a soft place for the creatures that other people might not really care to preserve.” “The majority of people might respond, ‘It’s just a spider. Move on and squash it. She is much more than that, though.
Nobody is really sure how Broccoli got atop the vegetable, but it was obvious the lengthy journey had worn her out. She appeared sluggish and had a slender, deflated abdomen.
She was ravenous, Garcia remarked. She was so thin you could not see her characteristic huge abdomen with the hourglass marking, which is what they are meant to have.
Garcia set up a terrarium for Broccoli, complete with some moist substrate, some long twigs to climb on and a small cave for her to hide in. By the next morning, the little spider had made amazing progress.
“As soon as she realized she wasn’t in danger, she was doing great,” Garcia said. “She’d already started building a web, and as soon as we offered her some fruit flies, she ate them immediately.”
Although black widows are usually very shy, Broccoli seems naturally adventurous, spending a lot of time outside of her cave.
While black widow bites can be painful, black widows aren’t as fatal as people think they are. Human deaths from being bitten by a black widow are actually extremely rare — and in many cases, the spiders don’t even emit venom.
They have the power to control whether a bite administers it, so unless they feel threatened, they usually won’t bother you.
“It takes a lot for them to actually make venom, so they use it very wisely,” Garcia said. “You literally almost have to squish them for them to release it. They don’t just go around biting people for fun. They’d much rather use their energy to eat.”
Garcia breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Broccoli performing so well since he remembered how weak she had been the day before. Garcia received a message from a really kind woman who was interested in adopting the spider after she posted about it on social media.
She has a lot of experience with spiders and just lost her beloved black widow, according to Garcia. She is well-equipped and is aware of Broccoli’s requirements so that she may have a happy and healthy life.
Garcia will have to bid Broccoli farewell when she moves to her new residence in a few weeks. She is, nevertheless, really grateful that the small wandering spider entered her life and contributed to spreading awareness of these arachnids.
“Spiders are not for everyone — but a lot of people have told me, ‘Wow, I guess she isn’t the vicious killer I thought she was!’” Garcia said. “I’m so thrilled she’s found a home with a qualified owner who will really appreciate her. It’s what she deserves.”
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