John Steiner, the blogger behind Journeys With Johnbo, has this prompt he calls Cellpic Sunday in which he asks us to post a photo that was taken with a cellphone, tablet, or another mobile device. I thought this might be fun so I decided to join in.
My wife took this photo early one evening last week. She noticed this large, hairy spider clinging to the outside of the glass slider that leads from the master bedroom to our deck in the back of our house. We confirmed that this is a tarantula spider, and this is the first one we’ve seen this year.
It’s actually kind of unusual to see a tarantula climbing up a glass slider, and even more unusual to see one before sunset, and yet even more unusual to see one at this time of year.
Why? Because these creatures are nocturnal and they live in underground burrows and rarely come out much before sunset. About the only time you see tarantulas above ground is during mating season, which is typically in September and October where we live. That’s when the mature male tarantulas are on the prowl for females and will leave their burrows to find female tarantulas to mate. Female tarantulas stay in their burrows most of their lives.
So was this tarantula in the photo an outlier? It wasn’t underground, it wasn’t dark, and it’s still at least four months before the tarantula mating season actually starts. Personally, I blame it on climate change.
If you wish to participate in this fun cellphone photo prompt, please click on the link to John’s post at the top of my post to see his photo and to read his instructions.
This, That, and the Other 
Yikes 😱 🕷️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow…glad it was on the other side of the glass
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is one awesome photo! Maybe he was just lonely and thought he’d get a jump on the other spidos in the dating arena…
LikeLiked by 1 person
You would have had me screaming down the phone in terror rather than taking a picture with it!
Fascinating stuff though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting conundrum and a great photo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could be the impact of climate change. It’s wreaking havoc on us all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome cellpic, rare and safe 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes yikes……..
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙈🙈🙈🙈 You could have warned me before attacking my eyeballs with such a monster! 😂 Spiders give me the major heebie-jeebies, I don’t think I’d be able to cope with that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your lucky you don’t live where we do. During tarantula mating season here they’re everywhere. Fortunately, they’re neither poisonous nor aggressive critters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
*shivers violently*
LikeLiked by 1 person
Despite loathing spiders of any size, that is a fantastic picture. Rabid animals deviate from routine – I wonder if spiders can become rabid? Scary thought!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very scary thought. Thanks.
LikeLike
Makes the day more interesting, hehe
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is ever so good Fandango. Your wife does a great job, please let her know 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will. She’ll be thrilled.
LikeLiked by 1 person