Nursery Web Spider

The Nursery Web Spider is a relatively large, slender-bodied spider. They vary in colour from grey through orangey to dark brown. There is a pale stripe just behind the head and there are pale ‘tear marks’ at the sides of its eyes. The top of the abdomen features a leaf shaped marking.

It is a common spider of grassland and scrub, usually found in Nettle beds or other dense vegetation. In early spring you can often find Nursery Web Spiders stretched out on stems and leaves of brambles and nettles, sunning themselves, typically holding their front two pairs of legs together pointing forwards. The adults are active hunters. They do not spin a web to catch food. They wait for flies and other insects to pass by and use quick sprinting and strength to capture them. They can usually be seen between April and August.

During mating the male presents the female with a present of a wrapped insect. This is because mating is a dangerous game for the male Nursery Web Spider. The female sometimes attempts to eat the male after mating, so he gives the gift such as a fly, when approaching in the hope that this will satisfy her hunger.

After mating, the female Nursery Web Spider lays her eggs into a silk cocoon. She carries her large, round egg-sac in her fangs. Just before the eggs hatch, she will make a nursery web among the vegetation. This acts like a tent, which she releases her spiderings into, sheltering them inside. They will stay here until after their first moult. The female will stay close by until all the spiderlings have dispersed.

Common and widespread throughout much of Britain.