Aragog

Usually I never quite know what I will blip as there is so much around; but I did today!
Thought I'd better act quickly before the rain set in. The wind was already starting to pick up which would mean a tricky shot with a web swaying. I knew where she was because I had seen her yesterday giving her a really wide berth.

Courage in both hands I hid behind the camera lens!!

This is a female, identified by a large cross on her back. She is also the web maker, building the inner spiral of web out of sticky silk from where to await her prey which the male scavenges off. The outer web made initially out of non-sticky silk is eaten and replaced in the second stage of building by sticky silk. She avoids sticking to the web by coating her feet in oil.

She was NOT a happy bunny on 2 counts: To enhance the definition for my shot I lightly misted the web with a water sprayer and who can blame her for being a bit fed up with that? Secondly she didn't like the dog barking and at every 'woof' reared her two front legs up menacingly - It was quite surprising, very startling to watch and did it for me as I scarpered back indoors!
You can actually see the newly spun silk coming out at the back if you dare to look closely!

Best viewed large :))