
Community identification
Yellow Garden Spider
Argiope aurantia
- Order & Family
- Order: Araneae; Family: Araneidae
- Size
- Females 19-28 mm (0.75-1.1 in); Males 5-9 mm (0.20-0.35 in)
Natural Habitat
Sunny areas such as gardens, meadows, and fields with tall vegetation
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous; primarily flying insects like bees, flies, and grasshoppers caught in their web
Behavior Patterns
Constructs large circular webs with a prominent zigzag silk pattern called a stabilimentum
Risks & Benefits
Beneficial to ecosystems as natural pest control; venom is not harmful to humans unless allergic