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Garden Spider

Garden Spider ©David Longshaw

Garden spider

Have you ever stopped to look at the shape of a spider web? Garden spiders spin a spiral shaped web, perfect for catching lots of juicy prey!

Scientific name

Araneus diadematus

When to see

June to November

Species information

Statistics

Body length: 0.9-1.8cm
Common.

About

Garden spiders are the most common orb web spider in the UK often found in gardens, giving them their name! They are greyish-brown with a white cross on their back and spin their famous spiral webs! They sit in the middle of the web waiting to feel the vibrations of a struggling insect in the sticky threads of its web. They then rush out and wrap their prey tightly in silk to stop them from moving – finishing the job with a venomous bite! This may sound scary – but they are completely harmless to humans!

How to identify

The Garden spider is one of the more easily recognised spiders. It is usually grey-brown or reddish-brown in colour, with a large white cross (made up of pale spots and streaks) on its abdomen. Females are twice the size of males.

Distribution

Widespread.

Did you know?

Spider silk is amazingly lightweight: a strand of silk long enough to go all the way around the Earth would weigh less than 500 grams - that's the same as a bag of sugar! It's also as strong as Kevlar, the material used to make bulletproof vests.