Login
Register
Comments & ID Thoughts
Common garden spider, black and yellow with white head
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Sep 20, 2021
- Photographed: Sep 20, 2021
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Goodlettsville , Tennessee, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes:
Loving the web ornamentation.
My mom always called these writing spiders
Yes, tnmom, this is a Black and Yellow Garden Spider, Argiope aurantia. The ornamentation is a stabilamenta (can’t remember if that is singular or plural). It’s a catch-all word for parts of the web that scientists don’t know entirely what the purpose is. It was originally thought to add stability. For this species, I think it is a disguise to hide the shape of the spider when it is resting/ hunting..
Calistapew, that is the basis for the “Charlotte’s Web” story. Charlotte was Araneus cavaticus (She actually says her species in the book).