Learn about the spiders among us at Saturday lecture

Spider fans and foes may want to attend a special lecture to learn about the arachnids that live among us in Southern California.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will be hosting a lecture on these eight-legged creatures -- which fascinate some and terrify others -- Saturday at 2 p.m. at the National Park Service Visitor Center in Thousand Oaks.

Jan Kempf, from the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum will be discussing spiders, including a recent arrival to the Southland -- the brown widow.

Attendees will gain insights into spider behavior and biology, discover which spiders might be seen on local hiking trails, and learn how they can participate in the Los Angeles Spider Survey to help catalog species.

Kempf may even bring along some of the live specimens collected.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: A spider dangles from a tree overlooking scenic Main Beach in Laguna Beach. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

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