I Have NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE!!!

Have you ever seen a Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) like the second one in this video? Yeah, me neither! I'm starting a field study with these spiders, so I'll keep you all updated on the progress in the future! Thank you for watching!

[@lone6543]

In Italy we call them wasp spiders

[@FlawedCoil82]

Yea that is something I can safely say I have never seen before in observing these spiders for 30 years. I can only assume it is some sort of a genetic variation. Nice catch! Although, to my eyes she looks so weird, I much prefer the traditional 4-6 spotted markings.

[@IloveSPIDERZ]

Thank you!! I've been studying these for over 20 years, and same thing!

[@zzydny]

Although I don't know much about spiders, I've enjoyed watching Argiopes on my property in Mississippi for a couple of decades. This summer I have noted a huge increase in population numbers. In the past, I have noticed that a population increase came before an unusually chilly winter. Since this years numbers are about 5X normal, I'm very curious to see what winter will do. The most unusual Argiope I have ever seen was slightly orange-y in tone rather than yellow and spun a web that was pure copper in color rather than white. The web was the most stunningly beautiful thing. I've waited for years to see another such but never have. Presumably it was a related orb-weaver species.

[@IloveSPIDERZ]

That is fascinating!! I've never made that correlation before, so I'll have to start paying attention! I've seen FAR more in a particular preserve (5 Rivers EEC in Delmar, NY) here than normal this year. And they are scattered all over the Preserve too. The Farmer's Almanac is already predicting a bad winter for us. You mention an orangish spider with a copper web, so it sounds to me that you are talking about the Golden Silk Spider (Nephilla clavipes) given your location. It is a tropical spider that likes to spin their webs in between trees in the middle of the woods of old-growth forests or Riparian woodlands. I also find them in Mangrove Ecosystems. If you are looking for them again, you should do it soon because right about now is when they start maturing out.

[@zzydny]

​@@IloveSPIDERZ Thanks! I looked up the Golden Silk Spider, and it does look like the one I recall. That spider was building between some young red swamp maples. There's no old-growth forest here, and the creek is half a mile away. Perhaps that's why I've just seen only one. All of the local area has been de-forested repeatedly over the past century (yellow pine). My small acreage was originally wetland--probably no one should have built here but we didn't know that back then. When my parents bought this place years ago, it was nearly clear cut with only a single hardwood tree (live oak) and maybe a dozen pines (loblolly). I've introduced a few trees (magnolia, sweet gum, red swamp maple) and then let nature do the rest because I've been allowing most of it to re-wild. It's interesting to see the changes especially in regard to returning wildlife. And there are lots of spiders. Although I love the beautiful argiopes, I am do not like the wolf spiders which tend to come into the house. Found one in the office recently and it was every bit as big as an Argiope--rather a nasty surprise to see coming out from under the desk. The Argiopes have been clustering around my house this year. Round my screen porch I can easily see half a dozen, and lots of egg pods. There was a funny moment last week when it was raining and I had to use an umbrella to go to check the mail. As you've undoubtedly noticed, Argiopes will "rock" their webs to attract prey. They were bobbing wildly when they saw my red and white striped umbrella! Thank goodness my neighbors are not near or they'd have heard me apologizing to the spiders for the bother. LOL

[@IloveSPIDERZ]

Yeah, I'm not an expert at finding them yet, seeing as I live so far north out of the range. But that is awesome that you find a lot of them!! I have also this year, which is not normal for me... I'm good at finding them, but this year there were a lot. Thank you for the stories, accolades, and for watching my videos!

[@aktualizator1219]

Females of the species are the most commonly seen in gardens. Their webs are usually characterized by a zigzag shaped stabilimentum (an extra thick line of silk) in the middle extending vertically. The spiders spend most of their time in their webs, waiting for prey to become ensnared. When prey becomes caught in the web, the spider may undulate the web back and forth to further trap the insect. When the prey is secure, the spider kills it by injecting its venom and then wraps the prey in a cocoon of silk for later consumption (typically 1-4 hours later). Prey includes small vertebrates, such as geckos and green anoles, as well as insects.