spider ID if possible please

[wales1000]

Hi I am new to the site, but today I removed from celery plus leaves which I am growing for my guinea pigs to fed to them tomorrow and noticed when I was washing them in the sink that there was a smallish white spider with a large cluster of eggs - I thought it had disappeared, but next thing I saw it on one of the leaves and it had quickly put a protective film over itself and the eggs - I have to admit I am not very keen on spiders as I am scared of them, but now I will never kill them or hurt them, so I asked my partner to put the leaf on the outside window box - I just wondered what type of spider this could be - it was about the size of a ten pence piece and had a largest white body - I was just amazed at how it put this protection film around it and then watching it out of the window it has carried its eggs around to the edge of the box like it was making them safe and is now itself just under the rim of the box.

Many thanks.

Natasha

[Jason Green]

Evening Natasha, and welcome to WAB!

Can you get a photograph of the spider? Upload it to our Image Archive if you can.

Look up Enoplognatha ovata to start with - were the legs pretty long, longer than the body itself?

Take care,

Jason

[wales1000]

hi i cant get a picture of the spider as i dont have a camera as the OH has taken it away with him, but yes the legs were much longer than the body itself, around about 3 times as long i would say.

[Jason Green]

Ah. Well, it sounds possible then.

Remember internet images will show it mostly as a white spider with a red mid-line on the abdomen, but it is a variable species and can show just white, or even yellow.

[wales1000]

thank you Jason - it does look like a Enoplognatha ovata very much, so thank you for your help.

I just found it very interesting how it put this film around it and was moving the egg to safety.