The Forest Today
There is no doubt that the Forest has changed considerably since the time of Pickard-Cambridge
and Frank P. Smith. The decrease in grazing has allowed many formerly open areas to become scrub
and secondary woodland. Although these habitats may be rich for spiders they are relatively poor in
those of rare or restricted distribution.
The cessation of pollarding that resulted after the protection of Epping Forest for the public has also
resulted in a decline in the variety of woodland habitat, with fewer clearings and open areas.
The greatest loss has undoubtedly been that of open areas of heather. Heathland is always a rich
habitat for spiders, probably because of the variety of microhabitats to be found and the spacial
variations available for the webs of different species. Large blocks of heathland like those still to be
found in Dorset and Surrey with their wet and dry heath and heather at various stages of maturity are
obviously the most valuable and indeed are of international importance. The Forest has probably never
had any very extensive areas of heathland but what there was has declined until today there remain
only a few fragments. In the whole of Essex heathland is now a very rare habitat. The few areas of
heathland that do remain are all remnants of what were formerly much larger areas. It is to be hoped
that modern forest management by the conservators will include an endeavour to return more areas
in the Forest to open heathy ground.
Areas of unimproved acid grassland are also likely to be important habitats for spiders, but little
work has been done on the spiders to be found in this habitat in the Forest. Despite heavy public
pressure the reasonably extensive areas on Wanstead and Leyton Flats are probably well worth a closer
examination.
A very small area of apparently ancient grassland survives near The Robin Hood, seemingly a
fragment of a formerly larger open area that may have been continuous with Fairmead Plain. The tiny
remnant is very vulnerable to public pressure or insensitive management.
Heathland
Interesting spiders survive in the small areas of heathland. Agroeca brunnea and A. proxima are
both ground hunters that make an eggsac high up in heather or grass. An inverted cup of white silk
encloses the eggs and the spider then covers this with a thick layer of earth brought up from the ground
to produce the finished ball. The inverted cup can sometimes be found unfinished or abandoned and
will then always excite considerable curiosity in its finder.
The uncommon wolf spider Pirata latitans is numerous on Sunshine Plain and has also been found
in other parts of the Forest. Like most Pirata species it is a spider of wet habitats and is quite at home
walking on the surface of water. The rare Pirata uliginosus is more likely to be found in drier places
and has been recorded from some of the grassland plains.
Sunshine Plain and Long Running contain populations of Theridion impressum, a small Theridiid
spider with only one other Essex record. The spider makes a scaffolding web in heather or low bushes
similar to that of its more common cousin Theridion sisyphium. The spider hides in a tent that it
camouflages with little pieces of leaf, heather or other debris (Fig. 1 -1). If an insect becomes entangled
in the sticky scaffolding silk then the spider quickly comes down from the tent to subdue its prey with
powerful poison. The remains of prey can usually be seen in the web and will often include insects
much larger and seemingly more powerful than the spider itself, such as bees and wasps. Theridion
sisyphium is remarkable for the maternal instincts shown by the mother to its spiderlings. It allows
them to feed from juices around its mouth and will later bite the tough chitin of the prey many times
to help them get to their food.
The scaffolding web typical of Theridiids is reduced to a few threads in Episinus angulatus (Fig.
1 -2). The spider makes its web roughly in the form of a simple H. The spider hangs downwards waiting
for crawling insects to become trapped by the sticky threads just above the ground (Bristowe, 1958).
Euryopis flavomaculata seems to be not uncommon at Sunshine Plain and Lodge Road Bog but it
is very rare in Essex with only one other recorded locality. Species of Euryopis are thought not to
make webs at all but instead to be hunters. Like Dipoena, another Theridiid genus, they are believed
to specialise in feeding on ants, prey avoided by most other spiders.
The uncommon Araneid Cercidia prominens is found on Sunshine Plain. It can be recognised by
its brown colour and abdomen with forward pointing spines on the anterior edge. Like other Araneids
it makes an orb web to catch its prey. 1 have always found the spider when 'grubbing around' near
bases of grass or heather tussocks so I think that it makes its web close to the ground. On the other
hand Araneus quadratus, a heavyweight amongst British spiders, makes its large orb web at the top
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