Egg Salad - _TNY_9489
The walnut orb weaver (Nuctenea umbratica) fills pretty much the same niche as the European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) - except for taking the night shift which means they can occupy the same places as the latter is diurnal.
This particular one, a female which I found half an hour after midnight just outside my neighbour's front door has managed to catch a fly which she was eating. Even though the spider's digestive juices have turned the fly into more or less a black soggy ball, we can actually determine that it was a female fly. You see, the fly was full of eggs which looks like grains of rice in this shot.
Also, if you're wondering why the spider is called the "walnut orb weaver", take a look at the top of that abdomen. The pattern on these vaguely resembles a walnut. In Swedish, it's called "större skuggspindel" which translates into "greater shadow spider", something which aligns nicely both with the scientific name "umbratica" meaning "in the shadows", but also it's behaviour as they are rarely out in the sunlight.
There is also a "lesser shadow spider" (N. silvicultrix) which arart from being smaller (duh) has a more contrasty colouration. Those are rarely seen on the side of buildings though and I have yet to find one.
Egg Salad - _TNY_9489
The walnut orb weaver (Nuctenea umbratica) fills pretty much the same niche as the European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) - except for taking the night shift which means they can occupy the same places as the latter is diurnal.
This particular one, a female which I found half an hour after midnight just outside my neighbour's front door has managed to catch a fly which she was eating. Even though the spider's digestive juices have turned the fly into more or less a black soggy ball, we can actually determine that it was a female fly. You see, the fly was full of eggs which looks like grains of rice in this shot.
Also, if you're wondering why the spider is called the "walnut orb weaver", take a look at the top of that abdomen. The pattern on these vaguely resembles a walnut. In Swedish, it's called "större skuggspindel" which translates into "greater shadow spider", something which aligns nicely both with the scientific name "umbratica" meaning "in the shadows", but also it's behaviour as they are rarely out in the sunlight.
There is also a "lesser shadow spider" (N. silvicultrix) which arart from being smaller (duh) has a more contrasty colouration. Those are rarely seen on the side of buildings though and I have yet to find one.