Click to Enlarge You'll discover some of Missouri's most fascinating creatures almost underfoot. They include grass spiders (top left), leafhoppers (top right), slugs (middle left), crickets (middle right) and garter snakes (bottom). When viewing wildlife, the more you look, the more you find.   Beasties Underfoot by Beverly J. Letchworth When you're looking around for wildlife to watch, don't forget to look down. When we think of watching wildlife, we usually think about birds or deer or turkeys. Missouri has lots of animals that are just as interesting and just as beautiful, and they are so numerous that we almost have to avoid stepping on them. Take ants, for example. If you look, you'll find them everywhere -- on the ground, on tree trunks, on plants, even on the driveway, porch and patio. Here are some other creatures that live underfoot. Saucer makers Look over the lawn in your yard. Do you see any patches of gauzy white on top of the grass? These patches, which are usually about the size of a saucer or plate, are the webs of a funnel web weaver spider called the grass spider. Walk quietly to one of the patches. No matter how careful you are, the spider probably has seen you and will make a quick dash to the side of its web. Even though it's less than a half-inch long, you'll be able to spot it easily when it moves. When you look at it closely, you'll see that the grass spider has eight eyes and is brownish-yellow with pale and dark stripes down its back. The web of the grass spider is flat, like a sheet, and may be up to three feet wide. It has what looks like a funnel coming from the center of the sheet to the edge. This is where the spider hides to wait fo its dinner. The grass spider covers the top of its web with a non-sticky barrier webbing. When a flying insect hits the top barrier web, it falls onto the sticky sheet web below. The spider, a speedster on its long legs, rushes out of its hiding place, bites the insect and pulls it back into the funnel to eat. Hop, hop hoppers Gently brush you hand over the grass or a patch of wildflowers in grassy areas, fields and gardens, and leafhoppers will probably spray out like popcorn. Leafhoppers are small insects -- some about a half-inch long, others much smaller. They have long, oval-shaped bodies and many are brightly colored. They're called leafhoppers becasue they normally hop from plant to plant to feed on plant juices. They're also sometimes called sharpshooters becasue they'll "shoot out" tiny droplets of filtered plant sap from the tips fo their abdomens. This name also describes how they move, shooting from plant to plant like little bullets. Leafhoppers lay their eggs in the stems and leaves of grasses and wildflowers. Many leafhoppers are associated with a specific plant food. For example, grape leafhoppers, which can be found throughout North America, mostly eat grapes. They are yellow or white with pale-yellow, red and blue markings. Soft crawlers If you look under a bucket, a log, a birdbath or any other object that's been sitting on the ground for a long time, you'll probably discover slugs. These soft little creatures like places that are cool and damp. Slugs are snails without a shell. Actually, most of them have remnants of a shell usually hidden within their bodies. Look at slugs closely, an you'll see long tentacles on top of their heads. Their light-sensitive eyes are positioned at the tips of these tentacles. Slugs also have shorter tentacles that extend from the front. These are used for feeling and smelling. Look even more closely and you'll spy a tiny hole on the right side of the slug's body. This leads to the slug's single lung. Slugs secrete a slimy substance whenever they crawl. The slime makes it easier for them ot move and protects them from sharp rocks, twigs and other objects in their path. A slug could crawl over an upright razor blade and would not get cut. Slugs mostly rely on their sense of smell to find their way around. They can use their slimy trails to guide them back to their tunnels. Some slugs even climb trees. When they want to come down, they lower themselves on a string of slime. They look like slow-motion bungee jumpers. Because they could easily dry out, slugs remain where it's cool and damp during the day. They come out at night to forage for food. They usually eat plant life and often visit gardens. Take a flashlight some evening and look for them after sunset. Chriping singers You'll hear crickets before you see them, but these little beasties can be found nearly everywhere. They often hide under things that protect them from wind and cold. You'll ofthen find them under logs or other objects on the ground, or in grass or weeds. They hop around using their long powerful hing legs. Only male crickets chirp. They make the trilling sound by rubbing together rough spots on their wings or legs. Each species of cricket makes its own distinct call. Cricket calls are more musical than grasshopper calls, which sound mechanical or like sand paper rubbed together. Next time you hear a call, try to hum a note to match the sound. If you can, you're hearing a cricket call. Crickets chirp to attract females and to mark their territory. They also have an alarm call that warns other crickets to stop calling until danger passes. When you approach close to a cricket, they usually become quiet. Striped gliders You might not see garter snakes very often, but these little beasties live in many yards, fileds, vacant lots, meadows, marshes, farms and parks. You may have one under your porch or in the woodpile, or under leftover boards stacked at the back of your property. Garter snakes are usually from 18 to 26 inches long. Their color varies somewhat, but they usually are striped along their back and sides. Cold weather doesn't seem to bother garter snakes much. In the southern part of their range, they're active year-round. You'll often see them during the day as they hunt for frogs, toads or mice. Garter snakes usually mate in spring an give birth to from 7 to 85 live babies that are from 5 to 9 inches long. Now, that's a brood! A garter snake doesn't like to be cornered or captured. If you grab one it may bite, but they are not venomous, and the bites usually don't break the skin. When alarmed, a garter snake also may release stinky musk from glands at the base of its tail. When it realizes it's not in danger, a garter snake usually will settle down and become tame and calm.