Garden Spiders

      

Argiope aurantia

          Garden spiders are often seen in late summer.  These spiders are orb-weavers, known for spinning large, intricately spoked webs.  The center of the web features a thick zig zag pattern called a stabilimentum. 

         As a child living in the south, I remember once hearing a child call it a "writing spider," adding "he writes your name and you die."  Not only do garden spiders lack the ability to write, their venom is harmless to humans.  They use fangs to inject venom to immobilize their prey. 

         These colorful spiders have eight simple eyes and their silvery front section is covered in hair. Although most spiders have two claws per foot, these arachnids have three, possibly aiding in their detailed web work.  Many of them rebuild their webs each night.  When an insect flies into the web, the garden spider often wraps it in silk, injects it with venom, and then consumes it a few hours later.

          Males die soon after mating.  After laying eggs that will overwinter, the females typically live until the first frost.

         If you look closely, you can see the spider emitting silk from its spinneret, located on its abdomen, to wrap up a tomato hornworm for later consumption.