Wasp spider

This is a female wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) at the end of summer, guarding her egg sac, one of the largest egg sacs made by any spider resident in the UK.

She constructed the sac, which is bigger than she is, about 30cm off the ground, attached to stems among the scrubby grassland in which she spent her life. She filled the sac with hundreds of eggs and sealed the top with silk. When the job was done, the spider died.

The egg sac is designed to survive the winter and the eggs will hatch in the spring or the early summer. The spiderlings will quickly disperse, before they attract predators. They use a method called ballooning: each tiny spider spins a long silk thread and is blown away in the wind.

So – if you are preparing to mow long grass, or cut back scrub at the end of your garden, check first for wasp spider egg sacs. If you find them, please leave the grass until the spiderlings have hatched.