Do You Know the Name of This Beauty Queen of a Spider?

When I was a kid, in grade school, my family lived in a rural area. Some of my neighbors, and I believe siblings, would collect spiders in a jar. We’d poke holes in the lid. One day, I went over to my neighbor’s house and was sitting on his back porch waiting for him to come outside. His mom opened the door and asked why I was sitting on the ground in white pants. I was wearing white painter’s pants, hand-me-downs from one of my cousins. I told her the pants were old and I was permitted to get them dirty.

Anyway, I still find it comical that she was concerned about my pants getting dirty and not the jar of spiders I was playing with outside of her back door.

Wolf Spider

Speaking of spiders, I had posted a picture on social media of a spider in my garden back in May or so, and a contact said it was a wolf spider, which are not poisonous:

I see them all the time.

Argiope trifasciata (banded garden spider)

However, yesterday, when I was picking some herbs from my herb garden in the mid-morning, I saw this colorful beauty, an Argiope trifasciata (aka banded garden spider), hanging out:

Interestingly, when I went to pick more herbs during the late afternoon on Sunday, the banded garden spider was in the same spot:

While attemping to take the picture, my finger accidentally hit her web,¹It’s female because they are better looking than the males; much more colorful. and it didn’t even move. The web was strong and stringy, and didn’t break. After performing a quick online search, it appears this spider is quite common in gardens²The wolf spider is listed at #6 and the banded garden spider is listed at #8. during September and October.

I leave the spiders alone because they provide pest control services for my garden. Also, even though the banded garden spider is poisonous, its venom doesn’t really affect humans:

Relationship with Humans: Humans often benefit from the presence of banded garden spiders due to their pest control services. While they can bite if threatened, their venom is not harmful to humans and usually results in nothing more than a slight pinch.

Nevertheless, it was a treat to see this colorful gem:

Webs produced by the Yellow Garden Spider are about knee-high off the ground in sunny, still areas of a garden. They are also distinct as some have a zig-zag type strand pattern called the stabilimentum running down the middle of their webs, believed to be produced by a nearby male. Additionally, their webs are built as a spiral that builds out from the center; a classic feature of all Orbweaver spiders. These spiders sit on the web up-side-down with their heads closer to the ground. Their long, lean legs make them appear substantially large and intimidating to humans. If disturbed or threatened, this spider will immediately drop to the ground.

Black-and-Yellow Garden Spiders are also called the Common Garden Spiders or Yellow Garden Spiders in various publications. Whichever name used, spotting one of these spiders is quite a treat as their unique shape and striking colors add a bit of natural “punch” to your garden. They are commonly found throughout garden areas, parks and woodlands.

Garden Snake

Of course, I see other critters in the garden from time-to-time, like this little garden snake slithering along my pickle plants:

Closing Words

When one gardens, one becomes closer to nature. After all, Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman philosopher, once said this:

Footnotes

• 1
  It’s female because they are better looking than the males; much more colorful.
• 2
  The wolf spider is listed at #6 and the banded garden spider is listed at #8.