One month ago Dick Walton noticed that I had found Phidippus mystaceus in the past and asked me to find him one so he could shoot some video. Sure no problem! (I've seen it maybe twice before - ever) OK, so I look hard every day for a full month. He's almost done the Monarch watch and about to head home, the weather turns cold and I figure "Oh well, next year". I go outside, look around, give up, and decide to sit on the patio in the sun and have a beer and cigar. A bug is on my neck, nope just a scratchy collar tag. There it is again, still just the tag. And AGAIN and nothing but tag. Then it's down at the middle of my back??? Reach inside my shirt and out comes this monster. If I had known she was looking for me I wouldn't have wasted all of that time looking for her.

The one that started it all