Garden spider
Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757
Status not recordedspiders
The garden spider (Araneus diadematus) is an arachnid in the spider subgroup, belonging to the family Araneidae and the genus Araneus. It is classified in the order Araneae, class Arachnida, phylum Arthropoda and kingdom Animalia, and its scientific name was authored by Clerck, 1757.
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Quick facts about the garden spider
Other English names for it include cross spider, diadem spider, cross orbweaver, garden cross spider and garden orb-web spider. Checklists record it in Switzerland, France, Iceland, Sweden and Slovenia.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 4 mm – 2.25 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forest, grassland, human_modified, wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Generations a year
- Onesrc for Generations a year
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- 5 countriessrc for Countries on record
How big is the garden spider?
Photos of the garden spider
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the garden spider live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The garden spider is listed for 5 countries.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: WSC (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the garden spider?
The spider species Araneus diadematus is commonly called the European garden spider, cross orbweaver, diadem spider, orangie, cross spider, and crowned orb weaver. It is sometimes called the pumpkin spider, although this name is also used for a different species, Araneus marmoreus. It is an orb-weaver spider found in Europe, where it is native, and North America, where it was introduced.
From the Wikipedia article “Araneus diadematus” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Araneus_diadematus&oldid=1365178067), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the garden spider endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the garden spider classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classArachnida
- orderAraneae
- familyAraneidae
- genusAraneus
- SpeciesAraneus diadematus Clerck, 1757
Synonyms Aranea cruciger, Aranea diadema, Aranea diademata, Aranea diademata islandica, Aranea diadematus, Aranea linnaei, Aranea myagria, Aranea papalis, Araneus cruciger, Araneus diadema, Araneus diadema, Araneus diademata, Araneus diadematus diadematus, Araneus diadematus islandicus, Araneus diadematus nemorosus, Araneus diadematus niger, Araneus diadematus soror, Araneus diadematus stellatus, Araneus diademus, Araneus hortensis, Araneus linnaei, Araneus myagria, Araneus papalis, Araneus peleg, Epeira diademata, Epeira diademata, Epeira diademata alpina, Epeira diademata nigra, Epeira diademata obscura, Epeira diadematus, Epeira frutetorum, Epeira frutticosa, Epeira myagria, Epeira soror, Epeira stellata
Other names and names in other languages (67)
- Cross orbweaverEnglish
- Cross spiderEnglish
- Diadem spiderEnglish
- European garden spiderEnglish
- European garden spiderEnglish
- Garden cross spiderEnglish
- Garden orb-web spiderEnglish
- araña de xardínAsturian
- КрыжавікBelarusian
- Крыжавік звычайныBelarusian
- Еўрапейскі садовы павукBelarusian
- Паяк кръстоносецBulgarian
- Pauk križarBosnian
- Aranya de la creuCatalan
- křižák obecnýCzech
- KorsedderkopDanish
- Almindelig korsedderkopDanish
- GartenkreuzspinneGerman
- Αράχνη η ΔιαδηματοφόροςGreek
- Araña de jardínSpanish
- Araña Europea de JardínSpanish
- ristämblikEstonian
- Baratze-armiarmaBasque
- RistihämähäkkiFinnish
- aitoristihämähäkkiFinnish
- aitoristikkiFinnish
- araignée porte-croixFrench
- Araignée fleur-de-lisFrench
- Épeire diadèmeFrench
- poca-puinnseinScottish Gaelic
- Tecedeira dos xardínsGalician
- עכביש צלבHebrew
- גלגלן הצלבHebrew
- Koronás keresztespókHungarian
- KrosskóngulóIcelandic
- KrossköngulóIcelandic
- Ragno crociatoItalian
- ニワオニグモJapanese
- Айқышты өрмекшіKazakh
- Paprastasis kryžiuotisLithuanian
- Krusta zirneklisLatvian
- korsedderkoppNorwegian Bokmål
- KruisspinDutch
- krzyżak ogrodowyPolish
- Aranha-de-jardim europeiaPortuguese
- Aranha-de-cruzPortuguese
- Aranha-diademaPortuguese
- Aranha-dos-jardinsPortuguese
- Epeira-de-cruzPortuguese
- Epeira-dos-jardinsPortuguese
- Tecedeira-de-cruz-cosmopolitaPortuguese
- Păianjen cu cruceRomanian
- Păianjenul cu cruceRomanian
- Păianjenul cu diademăRomanian
- Украшенный кругопрядRussian
- Крестовик обыкновенныйRussian
- Обыкновенный крестовикRussian
- eaktiruossaheavdniNorthern Sami
- križiak obyčajnýSlovak
- Navadni križevecSlovenian
- Паук крсташSerbian
- korsspindelSwedish
- Haçlı örümcekTurkish
- Haçlı Bahçe ÖrümceğiTurkish
- Павук-хрестовикUkrainian
- Хрестовик звичайнийUkrainian
- 十字園蛛Chinese
Relatives of the garden spider
Other species in the same genus Araneus.
Pumpkin spider
Araneus marmoreus
Strawberry spider
Araneus alsine
Barn spider
Araneus cavaticus
Cat-faced spider
Araneus gemmoides
White-winged orbweaver spider
Araneus albotriangulus
Popcorn spider
Araneus gemma
CompareGarden spider vs Pumpkin spiderGarden spider vs Strawberry spiderGarden spider vs Barn spiderGarden spider vs Cat-faced spider
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the garden spider?
The garden spider is an arachnid in the spider subgroup. It belongs to the family Araneidae in the order Araneae.
What is the scientific name of the garden spider?
The scientific name of the garden spider is Araneus diadematus, placing it in the genus Araneus.
Who named Araneus diadematus and when?
Araneus diadematus was named by Clerck, 1757.
What other names does the garden spider have?
The garden spider is also called the cross spider, diadem spider, cross orbweaver, garden cross spider and garden orb-web spider.
Which countries is the garden spider recorded in?
Checklists record the garden spider in Switzerland, France, Iceland, Sweden and Slovenia.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe · CC BY 4.0 · 2.0
Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Garden spider (Araneus diadematus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/garden-spider
“Garden spider (Araneus diadematus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/garden-spider.
@misc{garden_spider_2026,
title = {Garden spider (Araneus diadematus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/garden-spider},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}