Tuesday, 2 October 2012

European Garden Spider

Spotted a very large orb web in the garden strung between two uprights which are 68 inches (1730mm) apart. It is amazing the effort a spider has to go to in bridging the gap with the first couple of connections before it can start building the web. This usually has to be done every day / night as the web soon becomes damaged by clumsy humans walking through it!

The question that springs to my mind is - when the spider first uses those two uprights and having made its first anchor point on one upright, has it already chosen the second upright or does it come across it accidentally?

Getting the web and spider in focus was problematic as, with such a large span, the slightest breeze was making the whole thing move quite a distance.

This wider view was given a pseudo HDR treatment to make the web strands stand out better.

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The owner - a European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
Probably the most common spider in Europe

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This individual was about an inch (24mm) across the outstretched legs.
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11 comments:

  1. Maree Clarkson2 October 2012 at 09:48

    She is beautiful John, and so is her web, intricately perfect! I've also wondered about them choosing their anchoring points - deliberate or per chance...? That makes one wonder how far they can see ...

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    Replies
    1. Midmarsh John2 October 2012 at 10:49

      She is Maree. Orb webs are beautiful constructions.

      Delete
  2. Roy2 October 2012 at 10:15

    That first shot is brilliant John.

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    1. Midmarsh John2 October 2012 at 10:50

      Thank you Roy. It made a change to find one in an open position where I could choose how to photograph it.

      Delete
  3. ADRIAN2 October 2012 at 10:43

    Great shot....It must be chance.....it will depend which way the wind is blowing and where it starts from.

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    Replies
    1. Midmarsh John2 October 2012 at 10:52

      Thank you Adrian. I've always assume chance. From that position it would be a very long walk, or swing, for it to find another upright.

      Delete
  4. Bonnie3 October 2012 at 17:22

    Wonderful closeups of the spider. We have a spider here in NS Canada that is calledd a black and yellow Argiope. It too spins in web between two uprights. If disturbed it drops to the ground. I can be a very large spider, and seems to like blackberry bushes.

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    Replies
    1. Midmarsh John5 October 2012 at 08:42

      Thank you for visiting and the kind comment Bonnie. Fasinating creatures, as long as they are outside.

      Delete
  5. Matron3 October 2012 at 19:27

    I've often wondered the same thing! How does the spider traverse the gap in the first place? We had one from a chair on the patio to the shed which must have been about 6 foot of spider silk! Amazing!

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    Replies
    1. Midmarsh John5 October 2012 at 08:43

      Fascinating that such a small creature can produce so much silk in a short time.

      Delete
  6. Sue Garrett12 October 2012 at 08:04

    We once videoed a garden spider building its web and then slowed down the film - it was fascinating to watch exactly how it built its web.

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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