A Year in the Valley

It was the markings that caught my eye, in particular the lime green stripes.  The Common Stretch Spider is a Tetragnathid or long-jawed orb-weaver that stretches out to look like a stick, when it is threatened.  Even when it is exposed in the middle of its web, it can look like a piece of vegetation.  It is usually found on low-growing vegetation near water, where it spins a horizontal orb-web.  This one had slung its web across stems of sedge.  There are a few types of stretch spider but the T. extensa is the one most associated with wetland habitats.