_1060547

I found this image I took in 2016. Spiders are such fascinating creatures. This one is a Nursery Web Spider.

Nursery web spiders are known for thei...
Read more

I found this image I took in 2016. Spiders are such fascinating creatures. This one is a Nursery Web Spider.

Nursery web spiders are known for their webs, yet they do not use them to catch prey. The webs of these spiders are a common sight on gorse and other shrubs and are, as the name suggests, literally nurseries for young spiderlings.

During summer, the female nursery web spider can be seen roaming about carrying a large white ball underneath her. This is her egg sac and she carries it everywhere in her fangs until her young are ready to emerge.

When this time comes, she takes the egg sac to the top of a tree or shrub and constructs the nurseryweb. The mother stays close, and during the day can often be found near the base of the plant where she has deposited her young.

Secure inside the nurseryweb, the young spiderlings emerge from the eggsac and remain here for about a week or so before dispersing by ballooning.
Read less