Golden orb-weaver (banana spider)

Sunny, warm habitats with tall vegetation, including gardens, woodland edges, and grasslands. It builds large orb webs among stems and branches.

It captures flying insects such as flies, moths, bees, and wasps in its sticky web, then immobilizes and consumes them externally digested.

Females remain in large golden-silk webs, often rebuilding or repairing them; males may linger at the web’s edge to mate. Adults are most conspicuous in warm months, and females produce silk-wrapped egg sacs.

Generally harmless to humans; bites are uncommon and usually cause only mild, localized pain. It benefits ecosystems by controlling insect populations, though its web can entangle small wildlife.