Talk Summary:

A puzzle, a murder mystery, and a story with a surprise plot twist at the end…are these the stuff of Hollywood? Not necessarily. You can find these stories, and many others, if you take a look at the lives of arachnids in your home, your yard, or your neighborhood. Anyone with good powers of observation and an open mind can be a detective, solving puzzles in arachnology. This is where the amateur scientist can step in.

In this presentation, you will hear the stories of tiny thief spiders, courageous mother spiders, and the hidden lives of vinegaroons. A few smaller puzzles are thrown in along the way. Solving these mysteries was basically detective work: long nights spent staking out the scene of the crime, looking at microscopic evidence, asking questions, and keeping an open mind. Sometimes a puzzle is simple and can be solved quickly, but many times the path becomes complicated, and you are left with more questions than answers. Please join me in this story of mystery and discovery.