Spider ID please

[lou8395]

Hi,

This spider was found in a garden, I'm sorry about the bad quality of the photos...any idea what it is please?

Thanks!
Louise

[wilippa]

Araneus diadematus - you can just make out the white cross on its back in the second photo. They're common in gardens. So much so that one of their common names is Garden Spider. The other common name you'll hear for them is Cross Spider or Cross Orb-Weaver. They spin an orb-web, as the name suggests. You'll often see them sitting at the hub of the web, head down. The background colour varies but the distinguishing feature is the white spots forming a cross on their back.

[wilippa]

PS. My current avatar is one!

[lou8395]

Thanks! It was sitting in the middle of the web apparently (though it wasn't me who spotted it), but from the description it sounds exactly the same. As you can tell I'm no spider expert - will be looking at them more closely now
thanks,
Louise

[nikolai_avenger]

Now is the best time of year for A. diadematus. There ought to be plenty about.

Cheers. Nik.