tarantula

This time of year in southeast Colorado, hordes of tarantulas set out on their annual migration across the grasslands in search of a mate. The event draws plenty of tourists who are eager to witness the sight. Ahead of this weekend’s Tarantula Fest, we talk with an expert to learn what makes tarantulas so fascinating.

It's tarantula mating season on the Colorado plains, when male spiders scurry out of their burrows in search of a mate. Hundreds of arachnophiles flock to the small town of La Junta each year to watch them emerge in droves. Scientists, spider enthusiasts and curious Colorado families piled into buses just before dusk last weekend as tarantulas began to roam.

Late summers in southeastern Colorado are usually synonymous with golden honeydews and cantaloupes, as the Rocky Ford melon harvest gets underway. But as…