Spider in a clothes peg

Iain Ferguson Isn’t nature wonderful? Hanging out the washing - I do it occasionally - something caught my eye inside a clothes peg. It was one of those plastic pegs with a coloured insert, in this case pale green and barely visible was a little spider which was well camouflaged by sitting over this splash of colour, being virtually the same shade as the plastic.

Exotic? Something unusual that had perhaps wafted here from paradise in a banana box or hiding in a bunch of grapes? On consulting the all-knowing internet, it is actually common and found in bushes and woodlands all over the country.

Our little friend in the clothes peg is a Cucumber Green Orb Spider which uses its colour to mask its presence, thereby protecting itself by ‘vanishing’ into the background colour. It is found mainly in May until July but females tend to hang about a bit longer into September.

They weave a small web about four inches wide between leaves and flowers and usually take up a position in the middle waiting for prey to become entangled. Midges and aphids appear to be major parts of their diet so they may be a welcome addition to any garden.

The female is bigger than the male, growing to as much as 8mms long, whereas males only make 5mms. They are harmless to humans so there is no need to be afraid of them. For the specialist or arachnologist: Araniella cucurbitina, with two common species, pale yellowish green in colour with a red mark under the abdomen - didn’t turn it over to look.

Rather than use the ‘spider’ peg it was moved onto the metal supports of the whirlygig and left alone. It remained inside the peg for a couple of days then vanished, perhaps eaten by birds or feeling restricted by not having a lot of room for a web, however tiny.

It did leave behind what looked like a fluffy sponge. Maybe this is an egg sack which is usually attached to the underside of leaves. The babies seem to be red when they hatch, so will keep an eye out for future developments.

Coming back to my leading statement: ‘Isn’t nature wonderful’ and isn’t it amazing what can be learned from just hanging out the washing. Keep your eyes open.