Not for the faint-hearted...

A day of catching up with data-entry, photographing some invertebrates and preparing for three days teaching at Leeds, not to mention cooking a slow-roast venison to share with Ben and Sarah in the evening.

This was my fiercest photographic subject, a nightmare for arachnophobes. This ground spider is a fast-moving and fierce nocturnal hunter, spending the day in its silken retreat. It preys on a variety of smaller invertebrates, including woodlice, and those enormous jaws can penetrate both their protective carapace and a human finger. I'm not afraid of spiders, but I treated this one with great respect!