There are two recent reports that show the extremes of the UK’s conservation efforts. The first, this year’s Big Butterfly Count, reflects the decline in our insect populations, while the second, from the RSPB, shows how rapidly the situation can be turned around if we create the right circumstances.
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A flower crab spider lying in wait for unsuspecting pollinators to join it on its hogweed flowerhead.
All images by Clive Knight (SCPLNR June 24)
This is a jumping spider: Salticus scenicus, the zebra spider, so named for its black and white stripes.
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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.
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Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids, a family that includes harvestmen, ticks, mites and scorpions.
Three arachnids: harvestman, tick and scorpion
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Our in-house wildlife photographer, Simon Knight, obsesses about wasp spiders, Argiope bruennichi, strikingly beautiful immigrants from mainland Europe that are thriving as our island’s climate warms. Here are some of his pictures for Hallowe’en.
Check out Simon’s 2024 Southwick Nature Reserve calendar.
This is Dysdera crocata, the woodlouse spider.
Continue reading “Woodlouse spider”
by Simon Knight
I have recently enjoyed a couple of early mornings in the reserve with my macro lens, and as I have said before, I really enjoy macro photography and hunting for the smaller in habitants of the reserve, especially on dewy, bright mornings.
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A moment’s predation in our nettle beds, photographed one morning last week by Ian Bushell: a crab spider, probably Xysticus cristatus, has caught a red and black froghopper, Cercopis vulnerata, for breakfast. Crab spiders don’t build webs, they lie in wait and pounce on passing prey.
Header image: crab spider (Xysticus cristatus) and froghopper by Ian Bushell (SCPLNR 0523)
European Garden Spider
This far south, it’s already garden spider time.
The reserve’s fields are full of spiders’ webs.
Continue reading “spider silk”
Another trawl through the depths of our species lists has snagged a long jawed spider, Tetragnatha extensa.
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By Simon Knight
After the water voles, my second favourite residents of the reserve are the wasp spiders. When July rolls around, I make it my mission to find my first wasp spider and this happened on 3rd July. She was in Village Green and very small, the youngest I had ever seen. I used what3words to record the location as my plan was to come back over the coming days to see how she progressed. I was hoping the long grass in Village Green would remain as the rest of the reserve had already been cut, but sadly the next day Village Green was also cut. No more wasp spider.
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Hallowe’en Greetings to all our arachnophobes from park resident, Agelena labyrinthica.
Header picture: Labyrinth spider by Gail Hampshire (CC BY 2.0)
Video from: Animalia Kingdom – Łukasz Karnatowski
An email and attachments from Clive Knight:
“Too late for yesterday’s yellow and black article, I know, but here are a few pics of the wasp spiders I have seen on the reserve this year.”
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The breeding season of the reserve’s nursery web spiders (Pisaura mirabilis) can extend well into September.
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The past couple of weeks in the park have brought me some wonderful highs and unfortunately, some truly depressing lows. I will get the lows out of the way first, as I want to end on a positive note.
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A flower crab spider, Misumena vatia.
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Research has concluded that 42% of people are scared of spiders.
Read on for a little reassurance
The fields are full of spiders’ webs.
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Jason Pickard photographed this specimen on Wednesday in The Race, in the south facing hedge among the tall grass there. Perhaps we have the makings of a colony.
Continue reading “and there’s more….”
A large colourful female wasp spider found yesterday by Ian Bushell in the set-aside at the top of Kestrel Field.
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A nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) photographed in the park by DKG on a dewy morning.
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A nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) photographed in the park by DKG on a dewy Sunday morning.
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Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 