CleanSteve

By CleanSteve

Young Araneus diadematus (Cross Orbweaver)

I was watering the patio pot plants when I spotted this clutch of young spiders attached to the flowers growing at the end of the tall leaves of my elephant grass plant. I brought the plant out of the cabin a week ago having kept it warm over winter. I expect that the mother laid these eggs in the cabin, as I have seen similar hatchings of young inside the cabin in previous years.

I was in a bit of a hurry but decided that there was no time like the present and that this group of these very tiny spiders might disappear quite quickly. I rushed inside and changed to a macro lens on my camera, and snapped away. 

The size of the whole collection of these spiders is probably no more than two inches in diameter, so the individuals are tiny. You can see the threads of the spiders web in which they had been attached to the plant's leaves. wrapped.  Apparently they grow to be quite normal size garden spiders. The windy conditions made it quite hard to get a good focus and I now wish I'd had time to use a tripod, but needs must.

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