Autumn is spider season – climbing a thread

Autumn is spider season - climbing a thread

A spider climbing up a long single thread of silk. I think it’s a common garden spider, a female. It was rather smaller than I’d expect of this species at this time of year. The pattern on the back of its abdomen looked right for the species: they are also sometimes called cross spiders. The huge abdomen in proportion to the rest of the body is likely because it is swollen with eggs.