Bordered Orbweaver Neoscona adianta
A rather small spider, especially compared to the Wasp Spider. Males are 4 to 6.5 mm, females measure up to 11 mm. The one in the picture is yellow, which is odd. Usually the Bordered Orbweaver is reddish or brownish. The animal is characterized by a number of white triangles, making it look like the leaf of an oak. There is however a look-a-like: the Oak Spider (Aculepeira ceropegia). The Oak Spider is the biggest of the two (females are up to 14 mm) and it lacks the black border of the white blobs. So now you know where the English common name is based upon.
The Bordered Orbweaver is seen from June to September. It is common on heather and gore in rather moist heath. But it also appears in parks and gardens. The web is often made on top of flowers, or near the surface of the earth. The spider often sits near the web in full view. It is a common species all over Europe, including all of the British Isles and Ireland, but it is absent in the mountains.
