Meet Lucas, an adorable European garden spider that has taken up residence outside my house. These spiders are orb weavers, named for the circular shape of their intricate webs. Like their name suggests, they are commonly found across Europe but are common in North America as well. They can look menacing, especially when you flash it with a subtle red gel, but they are peaceful to humans and their venom is only harmful to the prey they catch.
Two years ago I spent weeks collecting a series of photos of a garden spider outside my house. My daughter and I named it Sigourney (because it was a weaver). This spider is smaller than Sigourney and its markings aren't as distinct. An offspring, perhaps? We named her Lucas because my daughter is six and if you have a young child and Netflix you've likely seen the series Lucas the Spider.
Interesting fact about European garden spiders: they were the first of their species to visit space. In 1973, a little orb weaver named Arabella was sent into orbit, where she spun a web on Skylab 3.
