The end of summer in southeastern Colorado brings about a spectacle that isn’t for everybody.

Near La Junta, thousands of tarantulas will be marching across the grasslands in search of mates.

The fuzzy little Romeos won’t see the children grow up. They might not even make it back out of their mates’ burrows, as female tarantulas have been known to make a snack of their mates. But the undeniable biological urge will drive them above ground in search of a partner.

Around the country, tarantula mating season can start as early as May, but tarantulas in Colorado — most commonly Oklahoma brown tarantulas — get a slightly later start.

When is tarantula mating season in Colorado?

Tarantula mating season usually starts in late August and can run into late October, but September is the peak of

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