I watched this St Andrew's Cross spider construct his web on my front veranda over several days last week. Check out the amazing markings on his abdomen! The finishing touch was the set of zigzagging, white, diagonal lines which - when he was centred in his web - appeared to make his spreadeagled legs look even longer. The day I decided to take a photo, he'd moved up slightly from his usual location; I noticed he was busy wrapping a hapless, trembling insect with spider silk - for later use... as lunch.
It was only a few days after the arrival of the new lounge suite that I suddenly realised: the large pot plant the spider had used to anchor the web had been quickly slid out of the way of the front door in the dark, to make room for the removal of the two old lounges and the delivery of the big new one.
Wherever St Andrew the spider is now, I'll bet he's very cross!
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Agreed Hi Ian, Tom here from Meetup... I have dozens of St Andrews Spiders in my garden and they certainly look good. They usually don't block pathways and form their web one metre above ground. The first entry in a Google search (amoline.net) is very interesting. They don't bite humans and their toxin is non poisonous (so they say), though I keep clear of them as they seem to catch unwanted insects.
Yes, I've noticed that. Unlike many other spiders, they don't tend to spin their web across busy thoroughfares. Normally, the pot he chose to use never moves. I'm feeling rather sad that we moved him on after all his hard work.
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