Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends >> Characters
Miss Spider
Scientific Name: Arachne Vulgaris Florivora
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Although her given name is Flora, she is better known as Miss Spider. Miss Spider is the quintessential mom. She’s warm-hearted, open, and extremely generous. Although her mother abandoned her at birth her past did not leave her cynical, but rather has given her a sweet and gentle nature. She chooses not to eat other insects like most spiders. She carefully prepares vegetarian meals for her family. For Miss Spider motherhood is serious business. She diligently tries to administer the right balance of discipline and care to her kids. Although Betty beetle, her adoptive mom, was a great role model. Miss Spider is sometimes prone to self-doubt and often wonders if she is doing the right thing. Under duress she shows a profound vulnerability. She is very attuned to the feelings of others. Knowing firsthand how powerful and transforming the gift of kindness can be she shares this gift with both her natural and adopted children as well as all those around her.
Squirt
Scientific Name: Arachne Vulgaris Aquaforte
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Squirt’s a firecracker, a kid with a ton of spunk. He’s one in spider years, which is about six in “kid years.” Even though he’s just a kid he’s not afraid of much and even when he is a little afraid, he’s the kind of kid that gulps his fear down and pushes forward. Squirt approaches life with wide-eyed wonder. He’s got a head full of questions and at his call of “bugs awaaay!” His little legs are raring to scurry on an adventure. He’s a natural born leader with a big heart. If he sees injustice anywhere he’s the first to say “that’s not fair!” And try to right the wrong—even if the creature in question is five times his size. He loves to laugh and play practical jokes on people and he doesn’t mind being the brunt of a good practical joke either. He’s the first to laugh at himself. His great passion is surfing the web. He’s got great perseverance and is always trying to perfect his technique-- which can definitely use improvement.
Shimmer
Scientific Name: Coleoptera Regina Cleopaterasis
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Shimmer is a jewel beetle. Her iridescent thorax gives her a most remarkable physical appearance. Other bugs are wowed by her looks, but she really thinks her beauty is just no big deal. She is much more than a just a beautiful bug. She is a very strong-willed and resilient kid. A bug with moxie. Shimmer survived alone in the snakey woods after she lost her family in a thunderstorm. (thunder and lightening still make her exoskeleton shiver) she’s eight years old, which makes her “the big sister” and which makes her like to tell the other kids what to do. Her way is the right way. When the other kids disagree she holds up her legs. They are specially equipped with heat sensors. “my sensors are telling me to go this way and my sensors are never wrong.” More often than not she is right. She is very intuitive. Of the adopted kids, she has adjusted the best. Shimmer is perfectly happy with her new family and doesn’t often wonder about her beetle family. She still misses is her little beetle sister, but she has the twins, pansy and snowdrop to dote on. Shimmer has a weakness for flowers. She loves to eat them. Her favorite pastime is to go to the meadow on a really hot day (she really loves hot, sunny days) and chow down on a whole scrumptious field of daisies.
Pansy
Scientific Name: Arachne Vulgaris Geminiatus
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Pansy is one of the two six-year-old twin girls. Although she loves her twin sister Snowdrop, she wants to be seen as her own spider. But when it comes down to it, she and Snowdrop are a dynamic duo. They are a good team. They do everything better together. Pansy is a tomboy, a natural athlete. She is the most coordinated of our bug pack. She can get herself out of practically any sticky situation. Because of her natural ability she takes chances. Chances she shouldn’t always take. When Pansy gets in trouble, it’s usually Snowdrop that comes to her rescue. Pansy loves to be at the center of attention and is a bit of showoff. She’s very competitive and doesn’t like it when someone can do something better than she can. She can surf circles around Squirt, which irritates him royally. Problem is Pansy is not very good at weaving webs. Snowdrop is the master weaver. Snowdrop’s webs are the best surfing webs in all of sunny patch. Without Snowdrop, Pansy wouldn’t be half the surfer she is.
Wiggle
Scientific Name: Arachne Vulgaris Gelatinatus
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Wiggle is a very shy six year old. He’s a bundle of neuroses on parade. A plump nervous nellie who’s certain that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. If it looks like rain, he’s sure it’s going to snow. “We’re gonna get caught. We’re gonna get caught,” is his mantra. Sometimes his overly cautious attitude frustrates the other kids. Wiggle does a lot of eight-legged wringing and tries to keep a low profile at all times. He tries to blend in and not get noticed. But when it comes to dreaming up something fun to do, Wiggle is full of ideas. He’s got a wild imagination. And when something tickles Wiggle’s funny bone he usually has a bit of a delayed reaction. Then he busts a gut and breaks a giggle fit that just doesn’t stop.
Bounce
Scientific Name: Psychidelica Optimestica
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
This little bed bug is the jester, the clown of the pack. He’s an impulsive little bug and often acts and speaks before he thinks. He does everything at lightening speed. He calls it like it is then deals with the consequences. He’s forgetful. “oops. I forgot” is his refrain. He bears no malice so it’s very easy to forgive him. At seven years old, Bounce learned early on how to pick himself up by his bootstraps. When things are looking grim, Bounce will always add levity to the situation. If “annie” was a bedbug, she’d be Bounce. He’s the eternal optimist and every cloud has a silver lining. Despite his comical nature this kid is a survivor. He can survive without food or water for a year or more! He goes days without eating sometimes. Miss spider frets and is always trying to get him to eat a good meal. When he does sit still long enough to eat he’s ravenous and can wolf down everything in sight. He also likes to be up all night, making bedtime routines with bounce a real challenge for Holley and Miss Spider.
Dragon
Scientific Name: Osilatti Voltaraptor
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Dragon is a lot of bluster. He’s nine, which makes him the eldest in the bug pack. He’d like Miss Spider and Holley to give him a little more room to soar. After all he was out on his own for a really long time. He acts and talks tough and never lets anyone forget that he survived in the snakey woods all by himself. He’s an amazing aerialist with the ability to fly forward and backward. It was while he was pulling some aerial stunts that he got separated from his family. He crashed into a puddle and got his wings wet. He’s very clumsy on his legs and he never caught up to them. Dragon is the most sensitive about being adopted although he’d tell you it’s no big deal. He loves his adoptive parents a ton and his brothers and sisters too, but he’s always on the look out for his dragonfly family. Dragon and Bounce have a very close relationship from their days together in the snakey woods. No matter what, they always side with each other.
Snowdrop
Scientific Name: Arachne Vulgaris Geminiatus
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Snowdrop is pansy’s six year old twin. Where Pansy is all about the physical, Snowdrop is about the cerebral. She is a dreamer, an inventor and a budding scientist. Snowdrop is a keen observer of the world around her. She is a marvelous engineer and craftsbug. Her webs are masterpieces and she already has a reputation in sunny patch for their delicate intricacy. She’s the first to put together an acorn shell buggy for the annual sunny patch go-cart race. Her best pal and sister pansy is sure to race it to victory. Moving at her own pace, Snowdrop is a kid who easily gets lost in reverie, stopping every step to marvel at a flower unfolding or cloud changing shape or to collect tidbits for her next invention. She often lags behind the family and her sister Pansy always keeps a watchful eye out for her. There isn’t much that can ruffle snowdrop’s blissful nature. She has a very, very long fuse. But when Snowdrop blows, she blows and all the other kids run for cover.
Spinner
Scientific Name: Arachne Vulgaris Oronadus
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Spinner is a carbon copy of his dad Holley. He looks and acts just like him. He’s innately sweet, calm, responsible, and most of the time, very level-headed. He’s a little naïve at times and always gives people the benefit of the doubt. He’s also the little philosopher of the group. He may only be six but his analytical nature allows him to digest situations and give palatable explanations to his brothers and sisters. The other kids often come to Spinner for advice. Like his dad, Spinner is musically talented. He can accompany Holley on his fiddle. Although Spinner is a serious and introspective kid, he also has a thrill-seeking side to him. If he were to visit an amusement park, Spinner would go on all the scariest rides. He loves to spin on his thread till he gets dizzy.
Holley
Scientific Name: Arachne Diminutoris Angelicus
Habitat: The Hollow Tree
Holley is Miss Spider’s mate and the little bugs’ dad. There is not a mean bone in his thorax. Holley rarely loses his patience. He’s level-headed and has an expansive spirit. At times he’s perhaps a little naïve and always gives other bugs the benefit of the doubt. Holley is a big fan of his wife. He thinks she is perfection. Like Miss Spider, Holley takes parenting very seriously. He is a kind and doting dad. He’s a whole lotta laughs too. He’s the sort of dad who can get down on a kid’s level and horse around. He’s a talented musician. Music is the special bond he shares with Spinner. His great love of natural beauty is something he tries to impart to all his kids. He’d let the kids stay up late if it meant watching a gorgeous harvest moon rising.