Unidentified

This is a female of Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) making her egg sack. She will stay around keeping an eye on it untill she no longer can (in our area these spiders are killed by the first hard frost in the fall). The eggs overwinter in the sack and tiny spiderlings hatch in the spring. I protect any sack I can find – it is wonderful to have these beautiful, beneficial spiders around.