[Faline]

An incredibly rare species of spider that has been brought back from the brink of extinction is set to be reintroduced in at a nature reserve in Dorset - with a little help from household waste.
There were just 56 individuals ladybird spiders on one site in the county by 1994.
Since then, work to preserve its habitat and a programme of captive breeding and relocations to suitable heathland areas in the county have helped boost numbers to more than 1,000.

Black and red: The rare ladybird spider is being moved to a nature reserve after a breeding programme that helped raise its numbers following a brush with extinction:


Even so, the spiders are still only found at a few sites in Dorset. But today a new colony is being moved to a species-rich heathland reserve.
And conservationists have found that the best way to transfer them to their new home is to make temporary burrows for the spiders out of empty water bottles.

In the latest move, endangered ladybird spiders - so called because of the bright red and black markings on the male during mating season - are being transferred to the RSPB's Arne reserve, one of the most diverse insect and spider habitats in the country.
The heathland site is already home to 240 species of spider and hundreds of insects, including the rare silver studded blue butterfly, the Purbeck mason wasp, which is found only in Dorset, and the Roesel's bush cricket, discovered there last year.
The small ladybird spiders spend most of their life underground, living a solitary existence in silk-lined burrows with a web over the entrance.
They catch a range of large beetles, bees and wasps in their webs and drag them underground, but can also leave the burrow and chase after prey.

At home: The ladybird spiders are being transported in old jars, which make perfect habitats for the creatures on their way to the RSPB's Arne reserve in Dorset:


Toby Branston, warden at RSPB Arne, said: 'Arne is an amazing place for bugs and this is the best time of year to see and hear them.
'To be introducing such a rare new species here is very exciting and I hope we can help it to spread further.
'Burying plastic bottles in the heathland may seem a little strange to some of our visitors but the experts have found that this is the best way to translocate the spiders.
'This is an ideal habitat for them, so we will be keeping a close eye on the new colony and carrying out regular surveys to see if they take to their new home.'
The spider has suffered from the loss of lowland heath habitat, 90 per cent of which has vanished in face of development of towns and conversion to conifer forest or agricultural land, the RSPB said.
Remaining areas of heathland have become fragmented or ceased to be properly managed, leading to the growth of scrub and threatening species such as sand lizards and nightjars.

[Viking64]

I was wondering when the former first lady would get a spider named after her!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bird_Johnson

[Wolf]

Nice conservation of a species

[MrCorpse]

It's a fucking spider... who cares if it dies out... there's enough spiders already.

[sassieroses]

Very cool post!!

[Ariectus]

Who the hell wants more spiders in the world?!? I've got the feeling this is some sort of terrorist attack

[Shawna]

[juliemd]

pretty color, still don't want it near me.

[kellyhound]

The small ladybird spiders spend most of their life underground, living a solitary existence in silk-lined burrows with a web over the entrance.
They catch a range of large beetles, bees and wasps in their webs and drag them underground, but can also leave the burrow and chase after prey.

cool

[Zodiak]

Saving spiders wtf?