La Junta Tarantula Festival celebrates a mating migration

By Jay McKinney

Regardless of a spider’s size, many people suffer from mild to severe arachnophobia. Those who really despise the 8-legged creatures should probably avoid the upcoming Tarantula Festival on Oct. 7 and 8 in La Junta.

Tarantula Festival
What: Guided Comanche National Grassland tours, parade and costume contest, education, tarantula art and more.
Where: La Junta
When: Oct. 7 and 8
More info here

“While this phenomenon has traditionally been called a migration, it is actually an annual mating ritual performed by male tarantulas who roam across the 443,000-plus acres on the Comanche National Grassland looking to mate,” according to Visit La Junta.

La Junta, located in Southeast Colorado, may be known as a quiet farming town but come September, the town becomes a hotspot for male Oklahoma Brown Tarantulas as they set out to find a mate. With its expansive prairie landscape, the Comanche National Grassland serves as the ideal home for the female tarantulas where they make burrows and typically spend the entirety of their life there. The females can live up to 25 years and will rarely be seen due to their reclusive nature.

Meanwhile, the males risk their lives as they journey across the prairie when they are about 8-10 years old. After finding a mate, the males often die for a variety of reasons. Experts point out that they have a lack of interest in eating after their journey and mating. They become easy prey for predators and, as anyone who has driven through the area during mating season can attest, many become road-kill while crossing the highway. Others are eaten by hungry females after mating.

The Tarantula Festival will celebrate the mating migration with a morning bike ride, a parade through downtown La Junta, a performance by the Koshare Indian Dancers and an educational pavilion. Visitors can also enjoy a beer in the beer garden, evening dancing and a car show. The local Fox Theater is showing the 1950’s thriller “Tarantula” as well.

Those who are interested in viewing the tarantulas should be present about an hour before sunset, preferably on a day that is warm and not windy. While September is the ideal month to find the spiders roaming, the mating migration can continue through October.

Some of the most popular nearby sites to find the spiders are Vogel Canyon, Sierra Vista & Timpas Picnic Area, and Delhi. The country roads that splinter off Highways 10, 350 and 109 are also a good option to view the roaming tarantulas. Despite their intimidating size, the spiders are not aggressive or dangerous. They can bite, but the effect is no worse than a bee sting, according to the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension office.