Wasp spider - a new arrival in northern Europe...

[Karl Günter Wünsch]

Canon 40D, Tokina 100mm f/2.8 @f/13, 0.3 sec, ISO 100, MLU, Berlebach mini tripod. Image taken in the dutch nature reserve "De Groote Peel" today.

[Fabs Forns]

Terrific detail and colors, Only wish for a more uniform BG, altough I know that is not possible sometimes in nature. Well done!

[Julie Kenward]

Very nice, Karl! I agree - a more uniform BG or more blur to the BG would be nice but that spider is so good it carries the photo for me. Lovely !!!

[Aristotle Georgiou]

You've captured the spider perfectly, excellent DOF and sharp. But I have to say the BG is letting it down.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Echo Fab's comments . Love the great color and detail in this capture . Beautifully done !!

[Karl Günter Wünsch]

Thanks for the comments (forgot to subscribe to the thread so I only saw them returning to the forum to kill some time soaking up the excellent pictures posted by the other contributers and trying to learn from the comments)...
As for the background, well I have sorted that issue by returning a day later to the same spot and searching the place high and low (more of the latter) hiking 13km (according to my GPS tracking device) in the process of locating another wasp spider which offered better photographic opportuinites. I'll post the results of that effort later (I am still not sure which of the pictures I took I should post)...