European garden spider, Araña de jardín

Description:

Orb-weaver spider. Individual spiders' colouring can range from extremely light yellow to very dark grey, but all European garden spiders have mottled markings across the back, with five or more large, white dots forming a cross. Adult females range in length from 6.5 to 20 mm , while males range from 5.5 to 13 mm. During mating, the much smaller male will approach the female cautiously. If not careful, he could end up being eaten by her. The webs are built by the larger females who usually lie head down on the web, or in a nearby leaf (with a signal thread attached to a leg), waiting for prey to get entangled in the web. The prey is then quickly captured and wrapped in silk before being eaten.

Habitat:

Spotted between hay bales wrapped in black plastic.

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/320 sec.; f/9; ISO Speed Rating: 400. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm. No flash fired