Orford Ness: home to 55 different species of spider
It’s a remote part of England which is largely undisturbed by people. And that makes it the perfect spot for shy critters to quietly get on with their life. Suffolk’s Orford Ness is the focus of a recent survey carried out by spider experts.
They found that a total of 55 species of spider have been identified – including 12 believed to be nationally rare or scarce.
The team also recorded, for the first time on the Suffolk coast, the nationally rare ‘Neon pictus’ which is classed as a type of ‘jumping spider’ and has previously only been found in six other locations across the country.
But, arachnophobes don’t fear! These particular spiders are only found in shingle habitats and are firmly in the ‘incy wincy’ category (females typically measure just three millimetres in length).
The discovery was made during two surveys carried out this year at the Suffolk nature reserve.
Five nationally rare spiders were recorded along with seven nationally scarce species of spider: nationally rare species are found in far fewer places in Britain.
One rare spider is thriving in the stony coastal grass and heathland habitat. It’s usually identified in only very small numbers but experts think Orford Ness could be home to several thousand.
‘It’s great to have identified a new species of spider on Orford Ness along with confirming that the other rare species last recorded in the early 2000s can still be found here,’ says Matt Wilson, NT’s Countryside Manager for the Suffolk and Essex Coast.
‘Whilst the photographs we have may make them look fierce, many are so small that they were unlikely to have been found by non-experts and their equipment.’
Experts think Orford Ness could be home to several thousand rare spiders. Image: James McGill / British Arachnological Society.
Thousands of acres of marshes, flats and lagoons
The fragile coastal habitat at Orford Ness consists of 2,000 acres of reed marshes, mud flats, brackish lagoons and delicate shingle ridges and valleys.
Twenty per cent of Europe’s vegetated shingle is found there and one single misplaced footstep can destroy structures that have taken centuries to form. The National Trust says that these habitats provide the perfect place for the arachnids to thrive.
‘The coastal marshes along with the challenging shingle environment here offer habitats for several different types of ‘specialist’ species, and the presence of so many of these, as well as their high numbers, indicates a generally healthy habitat.’
‘Although shingle habitats are prone to damage by leisure and commercial activity, we believe the remote nature of Orford Ness, where disturbance is limited, may be helping these spider species to succeed.’
The largest shingle spit in Europe, Orford Ness also has an abundance of wildlife including several species of nesting and wading birds such as avocets, redshank and lapwing, along with marsh harriers, hares and Suffolk’s first colony of breeding grey seals.
Two members from the British Arachnological Society carried out the surveys on Orford Ness with SSSI consent from Natural England. The charity is Britain’s only one dedicated exclusively to Britain’s 670 species of spider and their relatives – the arachnids.
‘Orford Ness is one of the UK’s premier sites for specialist coastal shingle spiders,’ says Richard Gallon from the British Arachnological Society.
‘The rainy weather on our first survey in May wasn’t ideal. Jumping spiders in particular are sun-worshippers, and tend to hide away in poor weather, so we weren’t expecting to find many of these.’
‘The highlight of the survey came towards the end of that day when a small jumping spider was spotted clinging to the underside of a rock – this was Neon pictus.’
‘We were delighted to find this species at Orford, as it extends the known UK range of this nationally rare species into East Anglia.’
‘Other spider records made during the survey are also important, confirming the continued presence of several rare and scarce species on the site.’
Monitoring conservation work with trail cameras and regular surveys
National Trust rangers carry out regular surveying and monitoring of species on Orford Ness to monitor conservation work and habitat management.
Nesting, breeding and winter bird surveys, butterfly transects and moth trapping, and water vole and otter monitoring are just some of those carried out alongside more specialist surveys like the spider survey.
A network of trail cameras also provides rangers with insight into new arrivals and glimpses of shyer resident inhabitants.
‘It’s brilliant to see the results of this survey on one of our most extraordinary wildlife sites,’ says Ben McCarthy, Head of Nature Conservation & Restoration Ecology at the National Trust.
‘Unlike most of our sites, Orford Ness has a relatively short history of biological recording as it was largely closed to the public until the 1990s when the National Trust acquired it.’
‘Since then its importance keeps on growing and especially for its fantastic invertebrate fauna including these wonderful spiders.’
‘It’s great to see that the careful management of the site’s habitats – from shingle to saltmarsh to grasslands to wetlands – support so many of these often maligned but important species.’
Orford Ness is now closed to the public for the winter and reopens in April 2025.
