Eight-legged messenger

© Pat Murkland

For all those who partake in Oct. 31 tricks or treats,

And for all who appreciate large and intensely hairy-looking crawling beings,

here is Tecqwac.

That's Tarantula in Serrano.

This male was out and about, creeping around looking for Mrs. Right several weeks ago.

In our canyon in Inland Southern California, we have a species that comes out in early fall, and a different Tecqwac who comes out in spring.

Dorothy Ramon recalled in Serrano in her cultural biography Wayta' Yawa' (2000) that when the spring Tecqwac appeared, it was a messenger:

Time to go looking for yucca blossoms to harvest for food.