Press Release

Press Release Archive: Friday 22 October 2010

Spooktacular spiders

This half term make your own spider on a line of silk in time for Halloween

Using recycled card and paper so you don't need to buy anything special - all you need is imagination to make your spider as scary or loveable as you like. Many of the distinctive orb webs that we see in our gardens and the countryside at this time of year are those of the garden spider.  This spider is easy to identify as it has white marks on its back that form a cross.  It is the female spiders that spin a new circular web every morning, and hang upside-down in the centre waiting for prey to get entangled in the silk.  The males are much smaller and will tentatively approach the females, taking care to avoid being mistaken for prey and eaten.     Amazing spider facts There are around 35,000 species of spider in the world, around 650 of them are here in the UK. The house spider can reach speeds of 13cm a second as it runs across the floor. Before sticking plasters were invented, people used cobwebs to bind wounds together and stop the bleeding. Spiders can’t eat solid food! They inject venom which turns the inside of their prey into liquid which they then suck up!   Things to do: Make your own spider on a line of silk   Download the instructions: Make_a_spider.pdf  902KB   Download the spider template: Spider_template.pdf 164KB   Find out more about spiders: The latest Wildlife Watch magazine includes a Beginners Guide to Spiders with helpful identification tips for the spiders you’re likely to see around your home and garden. The Wildlife Watch magazine is sent to all family and junior members of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. Find out how you can join on our membership page.

Notes to Editors

1. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and wild places throughout the historic county of Lincolnshire – from the Humber to the Wash. The Trust is Lincolnshire’s leading nature conservation charity with over 25,000 members and around 100 nature reserves. The Trust is a member of a nationwide network of 47 local trusts which work to protect wildlife - The Wildlife Trusts. www.lincstrust.org.uk
   
   
2. The Wildlife Trusts. There are 47 Wildlife Trusts across the whole of the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. We are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone.  With nearly 800,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species, whether they be in the countryside, in cities or at sea. 135,000 of our members belong to our junior branch, Wildlife Watch.  We manage 2,256 nature reserves covering more than 90,000 hectares; we stand up for wildlife; we inspire people about the natural world and we foster sustainable living. Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org

For further information please contact

Rachel Shaw, Public Relations Officer
Tel: 01507 526667   (ansaphone out of office hours)
Fax: 01507 525732
Email: Rachel Shaw

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Banovallum House
Manor House Street
Horncastle
Lincolnshire LN9 5HF

Website: www.lincstrust.org.uk