Now I know why they are called Nursery Web Spiders!

Pisaura mirabilis, the Nursery Web Spider, is a common spider in my garden. Despite many colour variations they are the only spider that looks like this so ID is very easy. However it wasn't until last year that I finally saw one carrying her egg sac, and this year I have also only seen one with an egg sac. But suddenly this month I've been coming across the nursery webs! The female spider places her egg sac in vegetation then spins a thick web around it to keep the spiderlings safe inside whilst she keeps guard. I don't know how long mum keeps guard for because of course I don't know when she spun the web, but she leaves before the spiderlings leave the safety of the web several days later. Most of the webs I saw in early July but I also found another one just recently.

More info about Nursery Web Spiders on André Bon's site here (in English).

Female carrying her egg sac seen in 2013.

And the only one I've seen with an egg sac this year.

The first web was in a Hydrangea. You can see the egg sac behind the blue flowers
and a few of Mum's legs are visible at the top.

Mrs Pisaura mirabilis on the nursery web with
legs held in the typical position for this species.

I found a couple more on Cranesbill Geraniums. Here you can see the babies.

The second one with an upset (I think) Mum because I'd been watering before I noticed her!
I've never seen them with their legs drawn up like this before - their characteristic position is
to hold the front 2 legs on each side straight out and together.

The best nursery web I found was down by the pond on a Knapweed plant.

You can see how she's built her web around the stem of the plant,
then she'd tethered it to another stem for extra protection.
The dark blob beneath the Knapweed bud is the mass of spiderlings.

Babies - this photo was taken two days after the one at the top when Mum was guarding them.
She'd already left by this time.

A few days later and the babies are starting to disperse around the web.

I then wanted to try to get a closer shot but my SX50 camera can't focus that easily so I put my hand behind to force it to close focus, when all of a sudden..........

The babies just shot down that web and out into the open!
It certainly made it easier to get photos of them.

They didn't come on me - not that I would have been bothered by teeny things like this but
I wonder why they did this. I have to assume my movement spelled danger for them
and they all ran like hell!

Now my next 'most want to see' in the spider department is a wolf spider carrying her babies on her back. I see tons of them carrying their egg sacs so it's about time! :-)