the European garden spider - l'Épeire diadème - Araneus diadematus (3)

MACROPHOTOGRAPHY of the European garden spider! (European garden spider, diadem spider, cross spider and crowned orb weaver. It is sometimes called the pumpkin spider - in french: Épeire diadème, elle est parfois appelée Araignée des jardins ou Araignée porte-croix - Latin : Araneus diadematus)

This species rebuilds its web everyday to enhance the possibility of capturing prey. The protein composition of spider silk is unusual. Amino acids with short side-chains make up 50 to 60% of the total protein. Before building a new web, a spider eats its old web, conserving silk proteins. The web of Araneus diadematus usually has 25 to 30 radial threads forming regular angles of 12 to 15 degrees. Webs of young individuals often have many more radii than those of adults.