Frogham, New Forest This spider was both beautiful and docile, but not to be taken for granted

As spiders go, this one certainly has wow factor. It’s mid-afternoon at the annual Frogham Fair. The lilt of Irish folk music drifts across as crowds line the arena to watch dogs and their handlers show off their skills – and children and grown-ups are recruited to become volunteer equipment as part of the entertainment. But our focus is on a creature many of those entranced by the show would turn away from in horror.

We were introduced to it on the hand of 11-year-old Elian Day, a young naturalist who has been more interested in what is in the hedges of the adjacent field than in the veteran cars proudly displayed in it.

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Source: Guardian Environment