Though the Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) has become increasingly common since it was discovered for the first time in Wales in 2021, I’ve not found it an easy species to locate.

I saw my first at Grangemoor Park, in Cardiff, on 28 August 2021, not just one but seven stunning Wasp spiders in one small area. Two years later, I managed to see them in two locations, the first found by a local friend in Dingle Park in Penarth on 23 July, the second on 28 August, once again in Grangemoor Park (Spider survivors). Since that date in 2023, I’ve searched thoroughly and often in both those places, and at other sites where the spider has now been reported but found nothing.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I was, once again, mooching through the Common fleabane plants by the River Ely at Grangemoor Park and there, finally, in a hollow amongst the plants, was this large and beautiful specimen.