Apologies to those of you who don't like spiders but the last few days of warm weather has made us particularly aware of them on the allotment. We use several plastic water butts for watering and while dipping a can into one of them a sudden movement on the side of the bright green butt made me look down at a wonderful sight, a nest full of baby spiders.
Araneus diadematus - European garden spiderlings
The delicate silk nest surrounding these babies gave them protection and some exercise as they raced up and down the threads to investigate the cause of the vibration. Dipping the watering can in the butt was causing them some concern but they soon settled back together again in one mass.
Garden spiders vary in colour from pale yellowy-brown to very dark brown, but they all have a characteristic white cross-shaped group of spots on their abdomen so are easy to identify. They are common throughout the UK which is why our gardens are filled with their beautiful orb webs which help them to catch prey such as wasps and butterflies.
The female spider lays her eggs in a silk egg sac after mating and then spends the rest of her life protecting them.Unable to leave the eggs to hunt and feed, she would have died in late autumn before her spiderlings hatched out in May this year.
Quite a story and I thought it made a worthy 'beast' for this week so have started on a watercolour of an adult spider and hope you're not an arachnophobe!
Watercolour in progress of Araneus diadematus
A finished picture next time and an update on the spiderlings........perhaps they will have molted which is something they will do several times before becoming an adult as their skin can't stretch. It's a tough life being a spider.
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