Who is that yellow, black and white patterned spider you found in your yard? It’s big, has eight long legs and an unusual web, and it is right by your house.
Spiders might not be your favorite creatures, but let’s take a moment to appreciate this notable garden friend.
Spider appearance
This easy-to-recognize spider has a distinct and symmetrical black and yellow patterned abdomen and a mostly white head. The length of the female body is on average 1 inch, which is four times larger than the tiny males.
The females are also much more colorful than the male spiders. And not only are the female spiders larger than their male counterparts, but their webs are too. If you see a large female yellow garden spider, look nearby for a smaller male's web.
Web appearance
The appearance of the spider makes it simple to identify, and their webs are too. Their webs are circular shaped and can span up to 2 feet across. These spiders keep their webs clean and orderly. A unique feature to look for is a thick, white zigzag of spider silk right in the center of the web.
This center feature is called a stabilimentum, and it can be found in the webs of some species of orb-weaver spiders. The shape of the stabilimentum is different depending on the species of spider. Some are circular, some are a spiral, some are shaped like an X and some look like starbursts. In the case of the yellow garden spider, it looks like a zipper.
The purpose of stabilimentum is unknown. Some scientists think it might have to do with camouflage, others think it helps lure prey into the center of the web. Or maybe it could be a warning to birds not to fly through and accidentally destroy the spiders’ webs.
Behavior
These spiders are not aggressive. If disturbed, they will likely hide by dropping from their webs. They can be provoked to bite if they are in distress, but their venom is harmless to humans. Though it may hurt, it would not feel much worse than a bee sting. Bigger does not always mean more harmful!
Words to know
Lure: To tempt someone or something to do something or go somewhere.
Provoke: To stimulate or incite to do or feel something.
Symmetrical: Made up of exactly similar parts facing each other.
While intensely vibrating her web, the female yellow garden spider stays firmly affixed to the center. This tactic helps confuse potential predators, like birds, by keeping them from getting a clear view to attack. It also further entangles prey in the sticky web before their potential meal attempts an escape.
The spider can often be found in the middle of the web, above the stabilimentum. They hang with their head facing down, waiting for their next meal to become entangled. They feast on prey like bees, flies, mosquitoes, moths, butterflies and other flying insects. When these bugs land on her web, she will vigorously attack, inject venom, then securely and rapidly wrap her prey, which she will eat a few hours later.
A female yellow garden spider will spend most of her life in one place — in her web. Do you tidy up your room before you go to sleep? So does this spider. Even though the spider eats and respins its orderly web each night, the spider and web will most likely stay in the same location for the season. So if you see a yellow garden spider, you can go back to visit — and carefully observe it — day after day. Occasionally, they will move their web to a new location, perhaps with better hunting grounds or to have more protection against web damage.
Reproduction
Most often, when you see a yellow garden spider, you are observing the recognizable female spider. The male spider is much smaller. Another reason you may not often see the male is that the female often eats the male spider upon detection. I see you, I eat you. Alternatively, she may choose to mate first, then consume his body, like a praying mantis does.
Yellow garden spiders breed twice a year. The male will search for a female and build his small web near, or even attached to, the female's web. The web vibrations the spider performs to trap prey or deter predators is also used by the male to court the female. He will rhythmically pluck on the strings of her web. Using a safety drop line in case of attack, he cautiously approaches the female.
If she likes the way he plucks the strings on her web and successful reproduction occurs, the female will become gravid — a term to describe pregnant insects and other creatures. The word means heavy, which is fitting because these spiders get big.
After a few weeks, she lays about 1,000 eggs and covers them in layers of silk forming a sheet. She then balls up the sheet and covers it with a protective brown layer of silk. She places the egg sac near her web — sometimes several feet away, or even hangs the sac suspended from her web.
When the spiderlings exit the sac, they are so tiny, they look like specks of dust. They release a thin strand of silk, and because they are so tiny, the spiderlings will get caught by the breeze and brought to a new area.
Habitat
These common spiders have a wide range spanning the United States, southern Canada, Mexico and Central America. They are most often seen in Will County during August and September, according to iNaturalist. These beautiful beings can often be found near sunny fields in places that aren't too windy, which could ruin their webs. Look for these cool creatures near your home, along the eaves of a building, in tall vegetation, in decorative bushes or right in your backyard garden.
You might be lucky enough to spend some time observing this amazing arachnid a few days in a row. Take the time to notice if its web changes or improves over time. Did the spider catch a meal in its web? Can you identify it? Will you be able to locate the smaller, male spider in his much smaller web? Whatever you do, be sure to give the yellow garden spider the space and appreciation it deserves.
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