Spinner

Microlinyphia pusilla

One of the things this project has been great for is helping me to conquer (sort of, anyway) my very irrational fear of spiders. Knowing that there are no dangerous (native) spiders on these islands certainly helps with my comfort level. But it's the process of putting a name on our eight-legged fellow residents that's doing the most good. Heck, I've even gotten to the point where I can pick them up and put them outside if I find them in the house – well, most of them, anyway. This little lady was investigating the back of one of our outside chairs on this date a few years ago, and I finally got around to identifying her today. It's a female Microlinyphia pusilla, a common and widespread species across most of Britain (as well as much of central and western Europe). This species is particularly partial to grasslands, but is found in a variety of other habitats as well. Its web is a horizontal sheet spun in low vegetation. Females are larger and plumper than males, with a dark central line on their mostly white abdomen, often with triangular dark patches overlapping towards the back end. The whole abdomen is surrounded by a dark band too. Males are shiny and black with a narrow abdomen that often shows two white spots near the front edge. Adults are seen from spring into mid-summer, with a few persisting into the autumn, so we should be seeing them around for a few more weeks yet.