Hi Friends and welcome to the Blog today. I love to garden and take an interest in the insects, good and bad, that I find when I’m working outside. I’m not a fan of most insects but I have to admit that some of them are pretty spectacular. The Yellow Garden Spider pictured above is one of those. I took this super picture of the spider this morning. Note the zigzag pattern that appears in the web. That is the typical way in which this spider builds its web.
The web is about two feet wide and the center of the web is eaten by the spider and respun every morning. Apparently small insects get caught in the center providing some nourishment. The spider catches mosquitoes, aphids and other destructive insects. It is not poisonous to humans and you really only see them at the end of Summer into early Fall. We have some every year. They are another signal that Summer is ending.
This is a really industrious creature, appropriate for this Labor Day, that helps gardeners so don’t destroy the spider or the web. Occasionally, I’ve had this type of spider build a web right across my front steps from one railing to the other. Not the most convenient location. You can relocate the webs. We try to loosen one side and spread it over the bushes next to the steps.
They appear from one day to the next constructing their webs overnight. It’s a bit of a surprise to come around a corner and see this rather large web and spider. They won’t hurt you. You can just leave them alone and observe their careful construction as they take care of some unwanted pests for you. Then one day, towards late Fall, they will be gone until next year. They are one of the endlessly entertaining wonders of nature.