Learn About Spiders in Maine in Naturalistâs Talk Tuesday, April 20, 2021 11:26 AM Grass spider (Photo: Dana Wilde) Kennebec Estuary Land Trust will host a free, online talk about Maine’s diverse spider species by Dana Wilde, author of “A Backyard Book of Spiders in Maine,” on Thursday, April 29, at 6 p.m. Wilde will read pieces from his book that explore spider bites, arachnid cognition and nursery web and fishing spiders and will discuss arachnid biology, ecology, behavior and natural history. Participants are encouraged to ask questions during the Q&A portion of the lecture. Wilde writes the “Backyard Naturalist” column that appears regularly in the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. He has been a college professor, editor, Fulbright scholar and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow. His books include “Summer to Fall: Notes and Numina from the Maine Woods” and “Nebulae: A Backyard Cosmography.” He is a member of the Maine Entomological Society, the International Society of Arachnology, and the National Book Critics Circle.