Black & Yellow Garden Spider

Description:

The spider species Argiope aurantia is commonly known as the yellow garden spider,[1][2] black and yellow garden spider,[3] golden garden spider,[4] writing spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider.[5] It is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. It has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen and a mostly white cephalothorax. Its scientific Latin name translates to "gilded silver-face" (the genus name Argiope meaning "silver-face", while the specific epithet aurantia means "gilded"). Males range from 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in); females range from 19–28 mm (0.75–1.10 in). These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is seemingly harmless to humans

Habitat:

Yellow garden spiders 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. Female Argiope aurantia spiders tend to be somewhat local, often staying in one place throughout much of their lifetime.

Notes:

I've spotted two of these beauties in the past few weeks. I'm an amateur photographer and love to take photos of wildlife of all kinds.