The Spider Pavilion – 2019

Every time I visit the Spider Pavilion at the Natural History Museum of LA County, I have high hopes of getting an excellent great spider photo.  I’ve figured out a few tips, but the education process continues.

Timing

Visitors must purchase a timed ticket for the pavilion, which is located outdoors near the South Entrance.  My ticket was for noon, and as I approached the pavilion, USC football fans were enjoying a game against Arizona.  Somewhere in the background, the theme song from Gunfight at the OK Corral was playing.  It went on forever!

There were a lot of people eager to get into the spider pavilion.  I let them go ahead because I knew they would sweep through and out again in a matter of minutes.  I was right.  They disappeared well before the 30 minutes viewing interval expired.

Perhaps they had trouble finding the spiders.

These creatures are small and disappear inside the foliage.  My lens also had trouble finding the spider in the leaves.  Patience is required.  By the way, the spider fooled my lens.  It’s a somewhat out-of-focus animal right in the center of the photo.

I did manage to get a few sharp images, but the process took the entire 30 minutes.  All the while, the gunfight jingle was getting in my head.

There were big orb spinners and garden spiders.  The number of spiders seemed fewer than previous years.   Most of the webs were round and a bit shredded.

Tips

• The Spider Pavilion is requires a special timed ticket.
• You won’t be able to enter if you miss the time on your ticket.  I’ve been late and lost a portion of my allotted thirty minutes.
• The spiders are not poisonous but don’t disturb them.
• The Spider Pavilion is a wonderful place for children to learn about spiders.

To see a few more spider photos, please click here.