If we can get beyond our fears, spiders, beetles, caterpillars and other creepy-crawlies can make for fine family companions.

From the archive: This story first appeared in The Desert Sun in 2016. It was huge, plodding and menacing to my neighbors. I write of a large tarantula that walked in front of my sliding door last ...

Missouri is home to the Texas Brown Tarantula, the state's largest spider, which can be found in open, dry glades in south and central Missouri and can live up to 20 years.