tarantula

A single act can produce hundreds of baby tarantulas — adorably called spiderlings — though many don’t survive in the wild.

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.

The South Carolina license plate on the Honda stopped in front of me at a red light, and its silhouette of the state’s signature palm looking regrettably like a tarantula atop a swizzle stick.

You can see more of her work on Instagram @tarantula_garden and on her website kimgaeta.com.

Only weeks earlier I’d run into a tarantula on the trail’s edge clutching a still-living insect in its long furry arms — several hikers were hovering over it, snapping photos with paparazzi-like fervor.