Banded garden spider
Unlike most orb weavers that hide by day, the banded garden spider hangs motionless in the center of its web from dawn to dusk, in plain sight.
| Where | Tall grass and open meadows |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 15 to 25 mm, male 4 to 5.5 mm body length |
| When | January to December |
Dozens of narrow silver, cream, yellow and black bands run across the oval abdomen, giving it a finely ruled look quite different from the bold, wasp like blocks of its relatives. The legs are yellow brown with darker rings that strengthen toward the tips.
Females build a new orb web low in tall grass each day and spend daylight hours hanging head down at its center rather than hiding, a habit shared by few other orb weavers. Males are far smaller and wander in search of a female's web to mate at its edge.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
White, Yellow, Black
Active
Day
To people
This large orb weaver is not dangerous to people and rarely bites unless handled roughly; it usually stays motionless in the center of its web when approached.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Shows bold black and yellow blocks across the abdomen like a wasp, with pinkish legs, rather than the many narrow silver, cream, yellow and black bands and yellow legs of the banded garden spider.
Questions
Is the Banded garden spider dangerous to people?
This large orb weaver is not dangerous to people and rarely bites unless handled roughly; it usually stays motionless in the center of its web when approached.
When can you see the Banded garden spider?
The Banded garden spider can be seen from January to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Mattia Menchetti, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.