Black-and-yellow garden spider (writing spider)

Sunny, open vegetation such as gardens, meadows, field edges, and shrubbery. It builds large orb webs among tall plants.

Carnivorous; it captures flies, grasshoppers, bees, and other insects in its sticky web, then immobilizes them with venom and wraps them.

The spider typically rests at the web’s center, often in a zigzag silk decoration called a stabilimentum. It is generally solitary; adults mate in late summer, and females produce egg sacs before dying in autumn.

Not considered dangerous to people; bites are uncommon and usually cause mild, temporary irritation. It benefits gardens by consuming many pest insects.