Nature

Spin by the Natural History Museum's Spider Pavilion

Web-based wonders will be back when this falltime favorite returns to the Exposition Park museum in late October.

NHMLAC

What to Know

  • Oct. 25-Nov. 29, 2020; tickets go on sale Oct. 14
  • Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (the museum's interior spaces are temporarily closed)
  • $6; visitors may enjoy the museum's Nature Garden before their timed entry to the Spider Pavilion (parking is additional and must be paid ahead of time)

Even the most amazing crafters, the gifted artisans who can knit an ombré-hued, highly complex pair of socks seemingly overnight, still possess a respect for the weavers that visit our wilder world in the fall.

The identity of those wild weavers? We won't spin this set-up out any longer: We're speaking of spiders, of course.

Arthropods don't require hand-knitted socks — and they've got so many legs to contend with — but they do weave intricate webs of astounding beauty.

And that they do so in such a short span of time? Our heads, well, spin.

Those webs aid in their necessary food finding, yes, but we humans can also be inspired and moved by these delicate masterpieces when we find them.

And you can find them, in pretty profusion, at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County each fall, when Spider Pavilion makes its return.

First things first: There shall be social distancing when the outdoor pavilion returns on Oct. 25.

You'll have the opportunity to enjoy seeing the spiders within the spacious structures while making room for other humans, and, yes, you won't be right on top of the spiders, either.

The spiders don't want that, and, truthfully, even the biggest arachna-aficionado likes a little space when it comes to appreciating the eight-legged earthlings.

If you've fluttered by the Exposition Park museum's Butterfly Pavilion in the past, you know what to expect in terms of sunshine, strolling, and stopping to view a bevy of amazing insects.

But if you're craving a bit more information, especially since spiders do prompt people to pause, here's what the museum shared: "The Spider Pavilion features several hundred orbweaver spiders in an outdoor enclosure filled with plants, natural light, and spacious pathways that allow visitors to safely connect with nature in the heart of L.A."

"This outdoor museum experience gives visitors the opportunity to walk among spiders and their amazing webs, observe enclosed habitats that are home to tarantulas, wolf spiders, and jumping spiders, and talk to educators about the different species, their urban environment, and the natural pest control that spiders provide."

They're weave-happy wonders, in short, and we bigger beings should take the opportunity to show a little eek-free gratitude whenever we're able to do so.

Spider Pavilion gives us that happy chance, over several fall weeks.

There are several safety precautions in place, do note, and the inside of the Natural History Museum has not yet reopened.

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