Whilst I am sure this is one of your common or garden Araneus diadematus type garden fellows. I was startled at the vast numbers of these guys that seem to be taking over the estate where I live in the middle of Cheshire.
Not only in my garden but they're all over the place. I counted a dozen in about a minute earlier on in my back yard.
They're about inch and a bit long at most, stripy legs and a big bulbous body. They have a web the size of a saucer that is anchored by just a few very long threads, maybe 2-3 feet long.
Here's the best of a load of blurred pictures I took this afternoon.
Is it just an arachnid invasion of middle England, or something more sinister ?
