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The garden · Spiders and scorpions
Garden spider
Araneus diadematus
A plump brown or orange spider with a cross of white spots on its back, sitting head-down in the middle of a round web.
- Size
- Females up to 15mm in the body
- Look for it
- June to October
- Where
- Gardens, hedges, fences and window frames
My spotter's list
Lowers itself on a thread of silk. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
JFMAMJJASOND
Garden spider
Good to know
Six things about the garden spider
CrossMarked with a cross
The pale spots on its back form a cross. It is sometimes called the cross spider.
WebA new web most days
It often eats its old web at night and spins a fresh one, recycling the silk.
SilkStronger than steel
Weight for weight, spider silk is stronger than steel and far stretchier.
FeetWhy it does not stick
Only the spiral threads are sticky. The spider walks on the dry spokes.
ShakeA blur when alarmed
If you disturb it, it shakes the web so fast that it turns into a blur.
EggsA silk bag of eggs
In autumn the female lays several hundred eggs in a yellowish silk bag, then dies. The spiderlings hatch in spring.
The real thing
Photos of the garden spider
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
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Out and aboutHow to spot one
September and October mornings are best: dew shows up every web. Look across gaps in hedges and between plant stems.
Lend a handHow to help
Leave webs where they are if you can. Each one catches flies, wasps and mosquitoes for nothing.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
The garden
Meadow and hedgerow
Pond and stream bugs live on their own page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond and stream
The log pile
After dark
Bugs from other parts of the world live on their own pages: choose another.
