Birder’s Lounge Charities
Pics from Posts
August 12, 2009 | 
Author 
Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)
I was chit-chatting with my neighbor (no, not Mr. Green Thumbs), and he showed me the big spider that was hanging out on the side of his house. We both thought it was cool – he likes having the spider around because it eats other less-desirable insects, like grasshoppers. 
This is a closer view- isn’t it neat to be able to look so closely without being nose-to-fangs with her? And no harm done to her either. I know this is a female because of her size (about 20mm) – much larger than the male of the species. According to bugguide.net, even though these spiders are scary-looking, they are not inclined to bite people.
[2 fingers raised and curled, clawing motion, "fffftt-fffftt" sounds]
Posted in Arthropods
Splendid! I adore these spiders. Our family farm is usually overflowing with them, and the females can grow quite large (from leg tip to leg tip, they’ll more than fill your palm). And as you point out, they’re delightfully docile.
We had a beautiful yellow garden spider in our window since June. We named her Charlotte!! The three children got to watch her all summer long and we all learned a lot about her. She has laid four large egg sacks!! We are excited to get to see them open up and all the little babies!! A little sad this morning, as we discovered that Charlotte and her web are gone. She has left behind only her eggs.