They're on the move

I knew I forgot something. 

I failed to mention the tarantulas in my previous post about my last trip to the Chimineas Ranch.

They were on the move-- male tarantulas, marching inexorably to the promised land.

In this case the promised land can be translated to female tarantulas larger than themselves and the prospect of mating.

It's a fatal attraction, because female tarantulas, like many other spiders often eat their mates when the seminal transaction is over.  

I saw dozens of the hairy fellows pausing at the edge of Soda Lake Road as I cruised by at 37.5 mph in my ancient red Honda. (I was low on gas). 

Their traffic sense must pay off, because I saw only a few black splats on the road.   

Arachnophiles celebrate the annual tarantula migration in various ways, and you can't blame them for getting excited. 

You don't see sexual crusades very often.

And crusades that end with the mothers-to-be eating their sperm donors are pretty unusual.