I found my first false widow spider, a Noble false widow (Steodata nobilis), at the end of October but it’s taken a few weeks for confirmation of my identification to filter through the recording system, hence the delay in showing you this little beauty. It had chosen its spot well: the outer wall of an apartment block, on the southern side where it could enjoy any sun and with a nearby crack between building and boundary wall where it could escape when threatened.

People often freak about spiders, and the false widows get some bad press because they get confused with the black widows (Latrodectus spp.), but these creatures are relatively harmless, especially when treated with respect. Yes, they might give a person a little nip if they’re trapped (e.g. in clothing) but so would you if you felt trapped and in danger, right? (The Natural History Museum website has a great page on identifying these lovely spiders.)