Damp and misty today - but very still after the winds we've had recently - so I took the opportunity to take a few photos in the garden. One thing that caught my eye was not a flower but a spider. A female of the Nursery Web Spider,
Pisaura mirabilis, had placed her egg case under the leaf of a peony and then spun a web to protect the hatchling spiders.
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| Nursery Web Spider, Pisaura mirabilis |
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| Nursery Web Spider, Pisaura mirabilis |
She'll protect her brood for a few days before the silk dissolves and the spiderlings spread to the four corners of the garden and beyond. Most will succumb to bird and other predation - even to their mother's jaws if they get within reach - but enough will survive to maintain the species after the head start their mother has given them in life.
Great spider pics John! I don't mind spiders, in fact I regard them as great friends of the garden and enjoy their presence in the garden.
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