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Project Noah Nature School
Argiope aurantia
This lovely lady spider would normally be very welcome in a flower garden. Unfortunately she parked herself in the midst of the Echinacea where many of the monarch caterpillars were pupating - in fact, mere inches away from some of the chrysalises. We tried to encourage her to move elsewhere by gently knocking her web down a couple of times, but she stood her ground and rebuilt each time so we decided to leave her be. Spiders gotta eat, too.
Range: Much of temperate North America: southern Canada, through most of the lower 48 states. Also found south through Mexico to Costa Rica. Uncommon in parts of Rocky Mountains, Great Basin. Habitat: Gardens, old fields.
Spotted in a backyard flower garden in Kennesaw, GA
Spotted on Sep 16, 2014
Submitted on Sep 17, 2014
2 Comments
Thanks!
Beautiful spider. Thanks for sharing.