A warning of what this post is about…
It’s that time of year when the wonderful orb-weaver spiders are growing to their plumpest and it’s just as well I consider them to be a separate class from house spiders, as I walk into their webs in the garden several times a week. House spiders and shed or garage spiders make me phobic, but garden spiders don’t.
This shadow on the curtain net was what greeted me one early morning as the sun was coming up. Luckily the spider was on the outside of the window, so it gave me a chance to take a really quite close look without risk of disturbing it.
Garden spider, Araneus diadematus, outside the window
The orb weaver Araneus diadematus is also known as the diadem spider, cross spider or crowned orb weaver. You can see why from the marking on its abdomen.
I love its transparency
A good view of the pedipalps, often called just ‘palps’, either side of the jaws
If you are interested, I have written about these spiders before, in a post called Diadem weavers of goose summer.
I also have an ongoing spider identification project with lots of pictures I have taken since 2010, although I haven’t added much to it lately and I fear I have misidentified a few of the species.
The Squirrelbasket 
thank you for sharing have a blessed day
Thank you for visiting 🙂
Pat
I know how you feel. I am arachnophobic, but have slowly been getting better and am now Ok with outdoor spiders if not too large or too close. I have even managed to photo some for ID purposes, which is a major achievement, though looking at even my own pics of them still makes me shudder. I do have a large screen on my PC though.
If have even created an ASrachnid album on my Flickr account. at https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_seligman_cardiff/albums/72157672315882080 – only a dozen images so far. My late Mother, highly arachniophobic, would be so proud that i am slowly conquering this phobia, largely through getting so used to examining other inverterbates, such as moths.
There is a very helpful British Spider Identification group on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/BritishSpiderIdentification/?ref=group_browse_new There is a definite risk you will see scary pictures if you go to that page, but you will get an ID if your pics are sufficiently clear and details.
As with all such groups, a prime aim is that in return for the advice and help given freely by volunteers, you will create suitable biological records. In our area (SE Wales), SEWBReCORD is a good tool for that, it’s a front end to the national iRecord, which you could use directly if you prefer, or for readers elsewhere. Gooogle either and create an account…
Paul
Thanks for all that. I’m sorry I am so hopeless about logging my observations with groups. I’ll have to make a resolution again…
I like your Flickr album, especially the white crab spider. And I was so jealous of that big one shaped like a cross in its web – until I realised it was in Peru so I wouldn’t be likely to see one any time soon.
It’s funny how years vary – I had one or two years when there was lots of moss around, and another with lots of spiders, but nowadays I see few of either around.
All the best 🙂
Beautiful photos, Pat! But then I’m a spider fan, maybe because “Charlotte’s Web” was read to us in 4th grade. Enjoyed your gossamer post also, in part because yesterday I saw spiderlings traveling on gossamer threads in the late afternoon light 🙂
I’m pleased someone liked it.
I haven’t seen spiderlings for years but came across them regularly on a very old stone wall in our garden when I lived in a village in the 1960s. They seemed so cute then, like beads.
All the best 🙂
Pat…Thank you so much for this article…your words brought back memories I have missed dearly of walking through the gardens observing life forms of natures beauty. I lost the use of my legs 10 yrs ago and my wheelchair is not user friendly through sand and mulch…I love your site and the beautiful mental pictures your words paint…thank you..kj
Lovely to hear from you after all this time!
May you enjoy all the seasons, even if viewed through windows.
Best wishes 🙂
Great post Pat, I think garden spiders are awesome (hence my Gravatar!) and I really like your shadow shot – the stuff of nightmares for the women in my house!
Glad we agree – although the shadow made me flinch at first, too.
I had a very strange experience the other night when the Chinese-takeaway delivery man (he wasn’t Chinese) pointed at a spider in its web over a hedge outside the front door. See that, he said, you wanna kill that, it’s a false widow spider. No it’s not, I said, it’s an ordinary garden spider. In daylight it’s brown, look at the pattern!
Social media has a lot to answer for!
All the best 🙂
Doesn’t it just. But good for you for educating your delivery man. Hopefully he’ll recognise the next one as a harmless native.
The spider shadow makes a great intro to your post and the close-ups of the garden spider are lovely and clear. I’m a fan of spiders, especially those that spin such amazing webs, but I’m happy they’re not the size of your close-up!
I always try to avoid putting a proper spider picture at the top of posts, so I can warn people not to carry on reading if they really have a phobia…
All the best 🙂