Meghan Cassidy

Multi-threat naturalist photographer (by night)/data analyst (by day) Meghan Cassidy probes the not-at-all-scary world of spiders and other arachnids, most of which are misunderstood, if not downright feared. She knows her basic taxonomy, ecology, natural history, and common spider families; watch the presentation and you will, too. She will showcase spiders found in Texas (with pictures!), offer tips to help identify them, and explain how to use iNaturalist as a resource for these amazing animals. A fierce advocate for everything in class arachnida, Meghan has conducted nature education with a spider focus for six years (she started studying spiders for fun almost 10 years ago). Many of her photos have enlivened scientific publications, including Mindfulness in Texas Nature (Texas A&M Press), by local herp champion Michael Smith, and Sarah Rose’s highly recommended field guide, Spiders of North America.