Unidentified

Argiope aurantia

Spider

The spider species Argiope aurantia is commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider. It is common to the contiguous United States, Hawaii, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. It has distinctive yellow and black markings on the abdomen and a mostly white cephalothorax. Its scientific Latin name translates to “gilded silver-face”. Males range from 5–9 mm; females range from 19–28 mm. These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is seemingly harmless to humans.