Rosemary Spider

I found this spider on our Rosemary bush this morning - hence the name. I was fascinated by how a net had been woven round the tiny, tiny baby spiders inside to protect them and how 'Mum' was on guard outside. It was very difficult to get a decent line through for the camera, despite clipping off a few branches. Mum is about 20mm in total length and the babies are the size of pin-heads.

I have used my Nikon USB prop as a pointer to where Mum is lurking - she is difficult to spot which, I suppose, is her aim. I had to lookup this one and she is a Nursery Web Spider, further details below:

Nursery Web Spider

Scientific name: Pisaura mirabilis

Size: Head and body up to 15mm long

Distribution: Common in England, Wales and parts of Scotland, but absent from Northern Ireland

Months seen: March to September

Habitat: Usually found low vegetation especially nettle beds

Food: Flies and other small insects

Special features: Nursery web spiders are narrow bodied and can be grey or brown in colour. There is a pale stripe just behind the head, and the sides of the abdomen are also pale coloured. The top of the abdomen features a leaf shaped marking.

In early spring you can often find Nursery web spiders stretched out on stems and leaves sunning themselves. They wait for flies and other insects to pass by, and then use quick sprinting and strength to overpower them.

After mating, the female Nursery web spider lays her eggs into a silk cocoon which she carries around in her fangs. Just before the eggs hatch, she spins a silk tent (nursery web) and releases her spiderlings inside it. This tent offers them some protection for the first few days of their life. After their first moult they leave the tent. The female stays close to the tent until all the spiderlings have dispersed.