The Guardian Of The Mango Tree

Just so you know, the mangoes in the Philippines are "Celestial Mangoes!" They are extremely sweet and juicy, and I have fallen in love with this wonderful tropical fruit. We are lucky enough to have a mango tree in our backyard. I have been watching that tree, waiting for the mangoes to ripen. Our gardener made us a long stick with a net and hook on the end to help us pick them. He also offered to climb up the tree and get the hard to reach ones, until he saw The Guardian.

 This is a partial view of the beloved mango tree. Right in the clearing in the upper middle is what appears to be a black dot, but when you zoom in closer you will see what it really is.

 
Enlarge this picture to get a better look

It's a big spider! Our gardener, who's name is Ryan, told me that he is afraid to pick the mangoes because this big guy might get him. I have heard that these spiders are poisonous, and then I also heard that there are no poisonous spiders in the Philippines. Well poisonous or not, I am scared to death of spiders but I love mangoes.
Huge spider + delicious mango = dilemma! 
Eventually our gardener caught the spider in the same net that we are using to pick fruit off of the tree. I don't know how he did it, but Ryan got the spider in the net, then maneuvered it out of the net and into this plastic cashew container from S&R. (Costco in America) 
The Guardian of the Mango Tree Has Been Captured!

I was even brave enough to put my hand next to it so you can see how large it is. Those of you who know me understand that putting my hand next to a sealed container with a spider in it is a big step for me. Even now as I write this post, I can feel things crawling on my arms, legs, and down the back of my neck. I have my feet up off the floor just in case his spider friends decide to climb across my toes.

Ryan took the spider home with him. I don't even want to ask him what he did with it - I'm so afraid that his family served it over rice.

So what happens to all the mangoes when the watchful eye(s) of the "Guardian of the Mango Tree" has been defeated? Well, besides all the ants that have deemed the area safe to lay their eggs, I have gathered the luscious fruit and eaten them or given them away. I also made 5 batches of mango freezer jam. 

Thanks to my daughter Stephanie, I received some boxes of Sure-Jell in the mail and the above picture became the lower picture. Yummy!

Our Mango tree continues to produce fruit and so many are falling to the ground, getting bruised and smashed. Every morning I go outside and pick up all the ones that fell during the night. They usually get thrown over the fence because the ants and other bugs get to them before I do. So sad.