The Caravan doesn’t actually start for several more days but we have to get ourselves to the jumping off point in Missouri.  Tonite we are staying in LaJunta, Colorado in SE Colorado.  It is near Rocky Ford which is known for it’s wonderful watermelons and cantelopes. LaJunta itself is known as a jumping off point to see the annual Tarantula Migration.  Male Texas/Oklahoma Brown Back T’s migrate over the short grass prairie looking for mates who burrow into the ground.  The Males mate only when they turn 8 because when they turn 8 they grow a special appendage the their front legs that prevents the females from eating them.  The successful mating results in more T’s but the male then wonders off into the plains from whence it came only to die a few months later because of the cold.  The females live 20-25 years because they have ownership of the burrow.  

This year we saw 4 T’s and a tarantula wasp who is the only known predator of the tarantula.  A couple of years ago we only saw one so this year was a big success.