Soon, a Horde of 8-Legged Freaks Will Be Crossing Missouri Roads
There's a reason why I tend not to travel to the southern parts of Missouri during the late summer and early Fall months. It's because of an annual nature tradition where you'll soon see hordes of 8-legged freaks crossing the roads in that part of the Show Me State.
I provide this public service announcement a few weeks ahead of time because it really shouldn't bother you if you see it happen. I'm talking about the annual migration of the Texas Brown Tarantula. The Missouri Department of Conservation provides details of what I'm talking about:
In late summer and fall, Missourians in the southern part of the state may see these large arachnids crossing roads
I have a natural-born fear of spiders, but even I will admit these big hairy beasts really are not to be feared.
Why did the tarantula cross the (Missouri) road?
The short family-friendly answer is this is the time of year when these shy male tarantulas are out...looking for love...for lack of a better way to say it. Late summer/early Fall is about the only time you'll ever see these tarantulas in Missouri due to how much they shy away from humans.
This is what the migration looks like in Arkansas.
Don't freak out if you're traveling through southern Missouri and you see multiple large spiders crossing the road. If you do, don't feel bad though as I'm sure I would also.