Araneidae (orb weavers)

The European Garden Spider

Araneus diadematus

Harmless

Photo: Quartl · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Family

Araneidae (orb weavers)

Size

Body 6–20 mm

Region

Europe, North America

Habitat

Gardens, hedgerows and tall grass; classic dewy autumn webs.

Overview

The textbook orb-weaver. Famous for the pale cross of dots on its back and its perfectly engineered circular web.

Standout fact

It often eats its own web each evening and recycles the protein to spin a fresh one.

Parasteatoda tepidariorum

The spider you most often meet indoors. It builds tangled cobwebs in quiet corners and is completely harmless to people.

Latrodectus mactans

Glossy black with the unmistakable red hourglass. Its neurotoxic venom makes it the most medically significant spider in North America.

Loxosceles reclusa

A shy, reclusive hunter recognised by the dark violin shape on its back. Its cytotoxic venom can cause slow-healing wounds.

Phidippus audax

Charismatic, curious and fuzzy, with huge forward-facing eyes. It hunts by pouncing rather than building webs.