GOP ‘majority of majority’ rule could test any budget deal

web1_TTL071915piano.ks_.jpg

Piano students receive awards

<p>Fear.</p><p>It seems to surround many of the wild creatures that inhabit Pennsylvania&#8217;s woods. And most of the time that fear is misplaced.</p><p>That&#8217;s why I find it intriguing.</p><p>We have many fears of the wild places. People are afraid of the woods after dark, scared of things that bite, slither or crawl and petrified of mysterious sounds and shapes they can&#8217;t identify.</p><p>But how much of that fear is justifiable?</p><p>Do the woods actually become more dangerous during the night than in the day? Are there wild creatures out there just waiting to attack?</p><p>No.</p><p>The only thing more dangerous about the woods after dark is the increased risk of tripping over something. There is nothing out there waiting to pounce.</p><p>In my opinion, the fears that people experience over the creatures that inhabit the woods are based on misconceptions.</p><p>Snakes are a good example.</p><p>There is nothing that people fear more than snakes. A mere sighting of a snake often leads to rumors that a particular place is &#8220;infested&#8221; with the reptiles, conjuring up images of copperheads squirming under every rock or buzzing rattlesnakes coiled at every step.</p><p>I&#8217;ve walked through prime snake habitat plenty of times and have yet to be chased down and bitten.</p><p>It&#8217;s the same story for bears and even coyotes. There is a fear surrounding the things that bite, even if the risk is minimal.</p><p>Still, there are a few things that I am fearful of when I venture into the woods or swamps.</p><p>Things like ticks, poison ivy and stinging nettle.</p><p>I&#8217;m more concerned with being bitten by a swarm of mosquitoes than an infestation of copperheads.</p><p>In the woods, I fear things like getting caught in a flesh-tearing briar patch, bumping into a yellowjacket nest or spooking a potent skunk.</p><p>Sure, we still have to be cautious during a bear encounter and stay on alert when traversing snake habitat, but scared?</p><p>No. Just aware.</p><p>I really don&#8217;t think people are scared of the woods and wild creatures as much as they are fearful of the unknown. Overcoming that fear could be as simple as knowing how to tell the difference between a copperhead and a milk snake, for example.</p><p>If you educate yourself about the things you fear in the outdoors you&#8217;ll spend less time being afraid and more time enjoying nature.</p><p>That&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve been reading everything I can about ticks.</p><p>And stinging nettle.</p><p><strong>Spiders</strong></p><p>Like snakes, spiders conjure up many fear-based misconceptions. There are two common reactions when one encounters a spider: it&#8217;s either a black widow or brown recluse, and it needs to be killed.</p><p>But in reality, spiders aren&#8217;t aggressive and most don&#8217;t possess enough venom to be harmful to humans.</p><p>Spiders are actually beneficial and quite impressive. The cross orbweaver, for example, has an ornate cross pattern on its abdomen along with an intricate pattern of dots. The fishing spider &#8212; one of the largest in state that can reach up to two inches in length &#8212; can catch small minnows right out of the water.</p><p>And the yellow garden spider, which can grow as large as the fishing spider, carries a beautiful yellow pattern that contrasts against its dark black abdomen.</p><p>In an effort to debunk some myths surrounding spiders and highlight some of the most common species in the area, I&#8217;ll be joining Misericordia University biology professor Larry Corpus, PhD, in the field to search for arachnids. Each week we&#8217;ll highlight a different species complete with photos and video from the field and show why spiders shouldn&#8217;t be feared, but appreciated.</p><p>The spider series will begin next week and will continue through the summer.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_Venesky-12.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_Venesky-12.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Outdoors with Tom Venesky: Fear of the unknown