With autumn's arrival, we've seen a flush of Garden Cross Spiders (
Araneus diadematus) all over the property. The source of their name is pretty obvious when you see them from behind; they have a very distinctive cross of pale spots across their fat abdomens (see left). They're relatively easy to identify from underneath as well, thanks to their very stripey legs and the two pale spots on the dark patch under their abdomen (see below). They come in a variety of colours from pale yellow to burnt orange to very dark brown, and their intricate webs are conspicuous, particularly after a bit of rain. At the moment, we have about eight webs tying our rubbish bin and recycling bin together, and another curtain lacing together the honeysuckle climbing up the wall outside our office. The spider typically hangs head down in the middle of its web and waits for flying insects to blunder into the web's sticky strands. This is a common spider throughout much of the British Isles (except for northern Scotland) and western Europe, and has been introduced throughout North America too.
