Easily the prettiest spider around in her dressed-to-kill gown, fur collar and long black stockings. These beauties are also known as “writing spiders” because of the trademark zigzag pattern in their webs (shown just below her). They have three specialized types of silk glands. One is used to create the Z-pattern, another creates the radial web strands, and a third type builds the food-trapping silk. Golden garden spiders are beneficial creatures, seem pretty mild tempered, and are not poisonous. Click here to view the spider’s underbelly.
Yowzers! What a great capture! I've always enjoyed viewing (not too close) these wonderful golden garden spiders. I didn't know these were writing spiders. Neat! Wonderful photo and information. 🙂
These things used to totally scare me. I never had the nerve to try to kill one. Menacing looking, aren't they?
do you know if it is common for this spider to produce more than one egg sack a season? I have one living in a window on the south side of our home in texas, and she has three pouches at this date 9/2/10.
I believe she breeds just once a year, at least that what it says in Wikipedia. I wonder if the eggs are distributed in multiple sacs? Beautiful spiders aren't they?
Thanks for the gorgeous spider pic that helped me id the one I found in my corn patch this year. She's HUGE Big as a 50cent piece! She is strikingly marked with yellow. I will send pics if you'd like. Just email me! Thanks again for the great pics!