By late May the spring flowers are fading fast as temperatures soar into the 90’s. The sturdy perennial milkweed begins to push its way up through the hard stony desert floor unfurling large globular leaves. They line arroyos and roadsides and welcome the spindly tarantula hawk to feast on its nectar.
I drive to my favorite places where these flowers thrive and spend time when the wind is calm taking pictures and watching as the bright orange tarantula hawks as they flit from plant to plant.
I have mixed feelings as I watch the tarantula hawks dart among the flowers. The females will seek out an unsuspecting tarantula, sting the spider between its legs immobilizing it, and drag it off to a burial chamber where she will lay her eggs. Her larva will feed on the spider eventually killing it.
I like tarantulas. We have had one female living in our garden for over three years, and I hope she does not succumb to the sting of a tarantula hawk!