LOS ANGELES TIMES - If you suffer from arachnophobia, this is the time of year when you’re most likely to run into one of your worst nightmares: a tarantula.
It’s mating season for most of the 29 species of tarantulas in the United States, 10 of which can be found in California, according to Los Padres National Forest. Around this time, tarantulas tend to leave their burrows to hunt for a mate — and they will travel up to 20 miles on their eight fuzzy legs to make a love connection.
...
During mating season, tarantula sightings are common during dusk and nighttime hours, especially following warm days and before seasonal rains, McCamish said.
They can be spotted moving around in chaparral and shrub but also in the deserts and mountain areas, said Doug Yanega, senior scientist at UC Riverside’s Entomology Research Museum.