SOMEONE recently posted on a community Facebook page a photo of a ‘massive’ spider she’d spotted on a walk. “I hope you squashed it,” said one comment. “Owt bigger than a 50p gets stamped on,” said another.

There are quite a few of these large arachnids on local moorland, someone I know sees them in her stables regularly and says they’re harmless. So why do grown adults feel the need to stamp on them?

Creepy-crawlies may creep us out, but they all have their place in the eco-system. Even the ‘nasties’ have a role as pollinators and predators - some wasps eat caterpillars on vegetables, earwigs feast on greenfly, moths pollinate plants after dark. And they’re all a vital part of the food chain.

It’s time we learned to learn to love these much vilified creatures.