Wasp Spider

Alex and I were out at the Great Fen, surveying the stonewort flora of the ditches and meres. The weather was just perfect for it - bright and sunny with just enough cool breeze to keep the temperature down. 

As we were walking between sampling points, Alex spotted this wasp spider, low down in the grass, quite a surprising place to find one as they usually prefer tall vegetation. As I went to photograph it, I realised that I'd forgotten to pack the macro lens, but had to make use of what I'd got.

The wasp spider is a recent arrival in the UK from the continent and has slowly spread over the southern half of England, and is still heading north. It now seems to turn up fairly frequently round Peterborough. 

It builds large orb webs in grassland and heathland, and attaches its silk egg-sacs to the grasses. The web has a wide, white zig-zag strip running down the middle, known as a 'stabilimentum', the function of which is unclear.