If you're getting into the Halloween spirit, this is one decoration you may want to skip.

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Halloween Season is Here

It's that time of year when the days are getting cooler, and Halloween is just around the corner.  This is the time many of us bust out the Halloween decorations and get our homes ready for the spooky season, and upcoming trick-or-treaters.  One really popular Halloween decoration is fake spiderwebs.  Many people buy the bags of "spiderwebs" because they're a cheap and easy way to add a scary look to your yard.  I've seen people stretch them over their bushes and front porches to add a really eerie feel to their yard.  However over recent years its become an issue for wildlife, and one wildlife rehabber has spoken out about the damage these fake spider webs can cause.

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Humane Indiana Wildlife Asks Hoosiers to Stop Using Fake Spiderweb Decorations

When talking about fake spiderweb decorations, we're talking about the kind that comes in a plastic bag that you cut and stretch over bushes and things.  These are the kinds of spiderweb decorations that have become a danger to wildlife.

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Here is what Humane Indiana Wildlife says about fake spiderweb decorations:

Spooky season is here and while we know it is fun and exciting to decorate for the Halloween season we ask to make a few considerations for our wildlife neighbors!
The biggest threat to wildlife during the Halloween season tends to be fake spiderwebs. Each year, our center intakes multiple small songbirds that have become tangled and ensnared in the festivities. This can cut off circulation to legs or toes, cause damage to feathers and wings, and so much more. The stress, alone, of being tangled in webbing for sometimes hours on end can be fatal. We ask that if we really want to use fake webbing for your Halloween decorations, consider doing it inside and not outdoors.
Another Halloween decoration to consider is our pumpkins! We LOVE carved pumpkins and we know you do to! Not only are they a wonderful decoration and a fun family activity but can be a delicious snack for our wildlife! The trouble arises when pumpkins are disposed of after they have started to mold and droop. Disposed of pumpkins along roadways or on the ground at the curb for local trash pick-up will draw wildlife closer to roads, which pose an obvious threat to their well-being. Instead, consider putting pumpkins in trash receptacles so that they are contained once you have decided to dispose of them.
Accompanied with their post is a photo of an owl hung up in fake spider webbing.  You can see their post, here.

What To Do With Those Spiderweb Decorations

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If you have a pack of those fake spiderwebs and you're wondering what you can do with them, remember you can always use them inside.  In fact, a couple of years ago I made a really cool little DIY decoration with fake spider webbing. Personally, I don't like this fake spiderweb stuff outside anyways, because I think it gets really gross by the end of the Halloween season from the elements so I did this instead!
Melissa/TSM
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I took the fake spiderwebs and stretched them inside of a decorative lantern I have. I secured the webs with clear tape.  I also added two small gravestone decorations, and put some purple LED lights inside.  It made for a really cool, creepy, indoor decoration that didn't pose a risk to our wildlife friends.

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