Araneus quadratus Araneus quadratus Araneus quadratus, the four-spot orb-weaver, is a common orb-weaver spider found in Europe and Central Asia, and as far as the Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan. Females can reach 17 mm in length, especially when gravid, males approximately half that. They are quite variable in appearance, ranging from brown to bright orange or green, but they always have the characteristic four white spots on the abdomen. The darker color morphs are easiest to identify, due to the contrast between the white spots and the rest of the body. The legs are sometimes brightly striped. The spider lives in gardens,
Black garden ant Black garden ant The black garden ant ("Lasius niger"), also known as the common black ant, is a formicine ant, the type species of the subgenus "Lasius", found all over Europe and in some parts of North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Australasia. The European species was split into two species; "L. niger" is found in open areas, while "L. platythorax" is found in forest habitats. It is monogynous, meaning colonies have a single queen. "Lasius niger" colonies can reach in size up to around 40,000 workers in rare cases but 4,000–7,000 is around average. A "Lasius niger" queen