ARANEUS DIADEMATUS AND THE COCOON

I thought, this morning, that the female Araneus diadematus spider that I have dubbed Arry Arachnid, had moved to live elsewhere.  Her web was tatty and even when a greenfly landed on the web, there was no sign of her.  This surprised me as it seemed to me she had a perfect for catching her prey.  Then I damaged the web further with my finger, and out she came to see what was going on.  She soon scuttled back to where she had come from: a fat grey cocoon.  No wonder she wasn't interested in the greenfly; she had pierced the cocoon and found something juicy inside.  While some might wonder what this has to do with a gardening blog, most will know all too well that the wildlife that goes on in a garden, often unseen to us, is as important as the soil and the plants that grow in it.  While the spider's habit of eating things alive will be repellent to us, she is also helping to control many of the pests that harm ornamental and agricultural plants. 



Female Araneus diadematus, also known as the Cross Spider because of the marking on its back.

Here we see Arry Arachnid has found herself a meal in a wrap.  Her version of the Mexican Burrito or Tortilla wrap.   

Female Araneus diadematus feasting on the contents of a cocoon

Not a very good video I took of the spider, I'm afraid.  I'm still learning to use the camera but also the spider was moving around and the breeze, gentle as it was, kept moving the web.



Female Araneus diadematus holding onto her cocoon lunch

After eating too much, the small spider is sleeping it off curled up in a dried ivy leaf.  The spider and leaf span a total of about 2-3cm. 

Araneus diadematus sleeping off a heavy meal in a dead ivy leaf.