Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)
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Large and conspicuous, the Yellow Garden Spider is one of the most familiar arachnids in the Hartman Prehistoric Garden. Females build large webs and remain in the center at all times unless disturbed. They catch appropriately sized flying prey, such as butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, and beetles. Other names for this species include writing spider and zipper spider. This refers to the thickened silk in the center of the web, which is called a stabilimentum. Young spiders create a round mat of zigzags, while adults usually have just a single vertical line. The male spiders may or may not create this structure in their webs.
The photo above shows a mature female that is swollen with eggs. Although these spiders live just one year, they can produce up to several egg cases during the summer. The tiny male, shown in the photo below, is usually found in a web adjacent to a female's. Once he has mated with the female, he dies.
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During the first part of summer, when the spiders are still young, it is easier to see the mass of silk in the center of their web than the actual spider hiding in the middle. The photo below shows a very well camouflaged young female.
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class: Arachnida / order: Araneae / family: Araneidae / genus: Argiope / species: aurantia
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