On the underside

Garden Orb Weavers were among the first creatures that got me interested in the natural world, as they were always a feature in our suburban garden during the summer months. When you ran into one of the sticky webs it was a terrifying experience for a little kid, but fascinating as well, as you could get right up close for a look. I also learnt that you could move them around so they would build their web to catch unsuspecting visitors coming down the garden path ; great fun! The other fascinating aspect was being able to watch them build the most perfect large wheel webs that seems to have been the model for every picture ever drawn of a spiderweb.
This female is one of the larger Garden Orb Weavers Eriophora transmarina. They come in a wide range of colour and patterns, which they seem to be able to change depending on their surroundings and most photos are of the upside but I thought the underside was a bit more dramatic for this shot.