Quote:
Originally Posted by pablocruze
That sure looks like Araneus diadematus
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I think you're right.
From Wikipedia: European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
The European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) or diadem spider, also called the cross spider in Eastern Europe, is a very common and well-known orb-weaver spider in Western Europe. Araneus diadematus also lives in parts of North America, in a range extending from New England and the Southeast to the Northwestern United States and adjacent parts of Canada.
Individual spiders' colouring can range from extremely light yellow to very dark grey, but all European garden spiders have mottled markings across the back with five or more large white dots forming a cross. The white dots result from cells that are filled with guanine, which is a byproduct of protein metabolism.
The third pair of legs of garden spiders are specialized for assisting in the spinning of orb webs. These spiders also use them to move around on their web without getting stuck. These legs are useful only in the web; while on the ground, these legs are of little value.
Garden spiders have been known to stridulate when threatened.
It is hard to provoke a garden spider to bite - if it does, the bite is slightly unpleasant, though utterly harmless to humans.
