Eruopean Garden Spider is probably a poor name for this arachnid that I photographed along the garden fence on 4 August 2020. The species is holarctic—ranging across all of Europe and from southern Canada to Mexico. Araneus diadematus goes by a few other names, including Diadem Spider and Crowned Orb Weaver.
I ran and fetched my phone camera, and the Android assistant, without hesitation, identified the spider. Color is said to be variable, but all have mottled white marks forming crosses on their dorsal abdomens. So I went back for my big camera and took a photo of the back, crosses and all. This individual is probably a female, since males are even smaller and may not be responsible for making webs. Occasionally the female eats her suitor after mating. Only if provoked will European Garden Spiders bite humans. The venom causes swelling and itches for a couple of days (Wikipedia).
I ran and fetched my phone camera, and the Android assistant, without hesitation, identified the spider. Color is said to be variable, but all have mottled white marks forming crosses on their dorsal abdomens. So I went back for my big camera and took a photo of the back, crosses and all. This individual is probably a female, since males are even smaller and may not be responsible for making webs. Occasionally the female eats her suitor after mating. Only if provoked will European Garden Spiders bite humans. The venom causes swelling and itches for a couple of days (Wikipedia).
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