Black & Yellow Garden Spider

Description:

This spider made a web in a corner outside my screen porch. I've watched her for weeks as summer turned to fall. She made an egg sac and attached it to the wall. Coming home late one night, I saw movement. She had laid more eggs & was spinning a silk cover for a second sac. Lovely pink color. In all of the photos, you can see her first egg sac a little higher up. The last photo was taken the next morning. Spider and her two egg sacs about the size of marbles. She's still out there. I hope I get to see the spiderlings hatch in the spring.

Related spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/153...

Habitat:

Large spider common throughout North and Central America. They often build webs in areas adjacent to open sunny fields where they stay concealed and protected from the wind. The spider can also be found along the eaves of houses and outbuildings or in any tall vegetation where they can securely stretch a web.

Also called yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, zipper spider, writing spider, corn spider or McKinley spider. Its scientific Latin name translates as "gilded silver-face" ... the genus name Argiope meaning "silver-face," while aurantia means "gilded."

Notes:

Update 11/2/17: I had an early appointment today and was up with the dawn. Sitting on the screen porch sipping coffee in the cool morning air, I looked over to see what my spider friend was doing. The web was a wreck and she was hanging upside down, motionless, from a stray tangle of silk. I blew on her a little. Nothing. I thought, well, I guess the cold got her last night. I went on to my appointment. But by the time I returned in the mid-afternoon, the sun was out and it was much warmer. And at some point during the day, she had revived, spun a new web and caught some lunch.

Update 11/4/17: A pine needle fell into the spider's web. I watched as she spent 15 minutes cutting it free and making repairs. After she was done, she returned to the densely woven center of the web. Insanely interesting creatures, spiders ...

Update 11/11/17: Large oak leaf blew into my spider friend's web. Instead of cutting it out, she moved it upward several inches overnight to cover her egg sacs. It must have taken hours. The cold weather will get her one night soon. I'll miss watching her ...