Black-and-yellow garden spider (writing spider)

Sunny gardens, meadows, and field edges with tall vegetation for anchoring its web.

Catches and eats flying insects, especially grasshoppers, flies, and bees, in a sticky orb web.

Builds a large vertical web, often with a zigzag silk band near its center; the female typically rests head-down in the web. Adults are most noticeable in late summer and fall.

Not aggressive, and bites are uncommon; a bite may cause temporary, mild pain. It benefits gardens by eating insect pests.