You don't have to go far when looking for Wildlife. This Common Garden Spider is as the name suggests extremely common and if you look in your garden you will find them without any trouble.
From a distance or near to they may not look that attractive, I myself am not really that fond of spiders but when you get in really close they do have an attractive side to them that not even I can deny. This specimen which is a female was sat in it's web at the end of the garden today in the rather large hedge we have there. If you look she is protecting an egg sack. After the female has mated she builds a silken egg sack and lays her eggs in it. She will now dedicate her life to protecting the egg sack sitting with them until late autumn unable to hunt or move away until she dies in late autumn. The spiderlings will hatch out the following May.
The garden spider is the most well known orb-weaving spider in the UK, and are often to be found in the centre of their circular orb-web with it's spiral pattern waiting for insects to collide with the web. Once a hapless insect does collide with the web the spider will wrap it in sticky silk and once immobilised it will finish it off with a venomous bite. The insect is then taken to the centre of the web to be devoured.
Common Garden Spiders have a life span of one to two years and they are found in bushes and other vegetation all over the UK with the exception of some locations in Northern Scotland. Males are between 4 and 8mm with the females growing between 10 - 13mm. Colour-wise they range from brown, pale yellow to near black - however they can be identified by the cross shaped group of spots on their abdomen.
These are so fun to have around... ours always seem to become very active right in October, we dont have to put up that fake web for halloween, the spiders do it for us :)
Posted by: April | November 12, 2009 at 02:01 AM
Found your page in a Google search trying to find a photo to show my friend. I have had a lovely huge garden spider living outside my kitchen window for a couple of months now... we named her Olga! Her abdomen is larger than the hole in the centre of a CD. She is a fascinating creature for sure!
Posted by: Kat | November 01, 2009 at 07:40 AM
They are not harmful to man, except for a few poor souls who may have an allergy to spider venom and even then the chances of a reaction are slim to none at all. Your skin is too tough for the venom delivery system to penetrate.
Posted by: twitter.com/RichHL | October 29, 2009 at 09:57 PM
My husband gust killed one the other day when he thought it was going to jump on our twin girls. We do not know how deadly they r. can anyone please email me if they r even deadly?
Posted by: Scary Mary | October 20, 2009 at 08:47 PM
We just caught one of these spiders in Billings, Montana. We have them every year, there used to be four to five of them in the porch every year before we remodeled. I was suprised to find one this late in the season. My six year old is taking her to school for show and tell today.
Posted by: Amanda | October 02, 2009 at 03:38 PM
Wisconsin, USA: We have this spider! It was by our front door for more than 2 weeks. He is amazing! He is like a new pet & we watch out for him. We feed him bugs. We had a hail storm last night & a lot of rain. Now it is getting colder out. He didn't build a new web today, which seems odd for him as he always repairs his web within an hour of any damage. I am tempted to bring him in & have him live in an aquarium we have. If they live 1-2 years...what do they do in the winter? Do spiders hibernate? We have a possible frost warning tonight!
Posted by: Wisconsin | September 29, 2009 at 01:01 AM
i have just found one of these spiders in a bush i was trimming, i picked her up for a closer look and she just curled into a ball. i have now put her back into the bush and she seem quite happy. i will keep an eye on her progress. kendal,cumbria,uk.
Posted by: paul hodgson | September 26, 2009 at 12:23 PM
I read that they don't usually eat each other but I have a huge one just outside my bedroom window that is eating any other female that puts a web close to hers. I didn't believe it until this morning. Last night there was a spider next to her in it's own web. This morning she was in the other spider's web eating it.
Posted by: Diane Winters | September 25, 2009 at 05:18 PM
I just found the same spider in my garden outside my bedroom window, i live in Kent in the UK. She is really fascanating to look at, her back looks like a large shell with a face on it.
Posted by: jane fletcher | September 25, 2009 at 02:51 PM
We have a large female garden spider she is very capabul of catching insects because her web is near the light where it attracts insects.
Posted by: Crazy | September 23, 2009 at 05:27 AM