The Nursery Web Spider is a relatively large, slender-bodied spider, pale grey-brown with a pattern of darker brown and black stripes running the length of the body. It is a common spider of grassland and scrub, and is often seen sunbathing amongst Brambles and Stinging Nettles. The adults are active hunters and don’t spin a web to catch food, instead using a quick sprint to capture flies and other insects. The female carries her large, round egg-sac in her fangs. When the young are about to hatch, she builds a silk sheet among the vegetation to act as a tent, sheltering them until they are old enough to leave on their own.

For research on how the male nursery web spider uses dead prey as ‘nuptial gift’ to court mates and avoid being eaten, go to:

Behavioural Ecology – Nuptial gift in spider Pisauura mirabilis maintained by sexual selection