Nursery Web Spider

Oh dear... it's full on bug time! I can't help it. As a child my mother despaired at my ability to fill jars with wildlife and observe the critters rather than tidy my bedroom. As an adult I despair of myself. Surely a hoover round should be more important than photographing critters. Nope!

Meet the distraction of the day. :)

This is a Nursery Web Spider, Pisaura mirabilis. They can vary in size and colour but a large female can reach 15mm, the males a little smaller. They can be found on the prowl, low down in the vegetation of your gardens, between March and September and are most easily recognised from their habit of keeping their front legs together at rest.

As their common name suggests, the females are good mothers. They have to walk around on tiptoe to carry their oversized egg sacs. Just before they are due to hatch she will weave the ball in a secure nest between leaves. She'll remain with the nest to guard them until, after their first moult, the last tiny spiderling leaves.

Ok, not the prettiest of creatures but fascinating.