112 types of spider at Palace

They are uninvited guests in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. And even though they have sharp teeth and sometimes even eyes on stalks, they are a welcome addition nonetheless.

The grounds are now home to 112 species of spider, a vast improvement on the last count, thanks mainly to cleaner London air and alterations instigated by environment-friendly Prince Charles.

Among them is the tiny Trichopterna Thorelli and Porrhomma Errans, according to environmental consultant Edward Milner who conducted the survey.

Charles may be interested to know that Trichopterna is brown to dark brown with a faint blackish stripe, a dark margin around the body, and orangebrown legs. It is between 2mm and 2.5mm long, and is a resident of moss and grass.

Porrhomma is marginally smaller, the female an orangey brown and the male dark brown. The few British sightings have been on fences and railings, but they are also found underneath tree bark.

William Bristowe, the "father of British arachnology," conducted the first count in the Palace grounds in 1929 when he counted 29 types. In 1954, Mr Bristowe found 57 varieties. Mr Milner said: "Prince Charles has encouraged the Palace gardeners to leave parts of the grassland to run wild which in turn has led to better habitats for spiders. The garden has become more spider-friendly."

Both species are entirely harmless to humans and live on tiny flies and other insects.

The Trichopterna and Porrhomma are classed as "money spiders" because of the superstition that if you whirl one three times around your head by their silken thread, it will bring riches.

Dr George McGavin, assistant curator of entomology at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, said of the Palace gardens total: "That number of species is really pretty good. Most urban gardens will have about 50 or so species. Of course, the Palace gardens are very large, but 112 shows that there is a good variety of habitats and no pesticides. I think Prince Charles's influence has helped a lot."

Referring to the spider eat spider world of the tiny arachnids, he said: "Get out there with a hand lens and you'll see more sex and violence in a garden than you can on Channel4."