A yellow garden spider tends to its dew-laden web.
Argiope aurantia, a.k.a. the yellow garden spider, the black & yellow garden spider or golden garden spider. And while it may be found in your garden as the name suggests, it is actually more at home in any locale where it can suspend its silky web from tall plants and grasses, particularly meadows and alongside narrow, slow-moving streams.
Its web creations are silky and symmetrical and can measure over two feet in diameter. They are also quite lethal to flying insects. This web, and several others in close proximity, were found in a meadow of milkweed, Queen Anne's lace and dead tansy.
Strung up amid spent tansy and covered with dew, this web bears a certain Halloween motif.
Once her prey is ensnared, this female will "jiggle" her web to further secure her quarry before scurrying across her silky masterpiece and injecting venom into her victim. She will then wrap her prey in a silky cocoon and wait a few hours for the venom to do its work -- turning her victim's insides to liquid. Makes for a high-protein buggy milkshake!
Nice work, Jim Nigro. I
Nice work, Jim Nigro. I like to photograph spiders myself. I discovered that for me, familiarity bred the loss of fear and revulsion for these amazing creatures.
Awesome! Mother Nature and
Awesome! Mother Nature and Jim Nigro at their best!
Scott & Mary Kay - thank you,
Scott & Mary Kay - thank you, I'm glad you found this interesting. Just the thought of spiders will make some people's skin crawl!!
"Makes for a high-protein
"Makes for a high-protein buggy milkshake!"
Eeeew! (Ha ha)
Amazing pictures, Jim. Two thumbs UP.
Good morning, Mardell - I
Good morning, Mardell - I opted to start the day with coffee rather than the milkshake!!
Spiders serve a good purpose
Spiders serve a good purpose in nature and I am superstitious about killing them. If they are in my house, I try to scoop them up with a piece of cardboard and put them outside. If they are outside, I leave them alone. But the poison ones, if you know which ones they are, have gotta go -- at least inside. I found two black widow spiders in my garage in Bakersfield, prompting me to have to bug man come and spray the property. The black widows were resting, which they do upside down, revealing their bright red hourglass marking on their underside. Here in Batavia, I was bitten by a spider, unbeknownst to me at the time, and later discovered a half-dollar sized bite that was quite nasty and I had to go to the doctor.
I like the intricate beauty of spider webs -- outside.
Hi Billie - I can relate to
Hi Billie - I can relate to the black widow encounter. It was summer in rural Georgia and I found a small wooden crate in an overgrown pasture. Being naturally curious, I upended the crate and saw her in corner guarding two or three eggs. It was the summer of '61 and I was only 11 at the time but was well aware of the meaning of the red marking on her abdomen. I turned the crate back over and went on my way.
A few years later I was bitten here in Batavia. Not sure of the species but, like you, I was unaware at the time and didn't know until the next day and only after a visit to the doctor. Though it happened long ago I remember there was nothing pleasant about it - except for staying home from school.
somebody must have already
somebody must have already gotten the SKITTLES!