Orb Weaver

About the Orb Weaver

The yellow garden spider, our showiest orb weaver, hangs head-down at the hub of a wheel of silk that can span two feet, often with a bold zigzag of white silk stitched through the middle. That zigzag - the stabilimentum - is the spider's signature, and its purpose is still argued over: warning birds away from the web, luring insects with reflected UV, or simple camouflage for the spider's outline.

The big black-and-yellow spider you notice is always the female; males are a fraction of her size and spend their short lives courting cautiously at the edge of her web. For all her intimidating looks she is harmless to people - reluctant to bite even when handled, with venom of no medical consequence.

Each night she eats most of the web's spiral and re-spins it fresh by morning, recycling the protein - which is why the web always looks new. Grasshoppers, katydids, and dragonflies that blunder in are wrapped in seconds with sheets of silk pulled from her spinnerets.

Late summer and fall are her season in Texas gardens and fencerows. Find one with dew on the web at sunrise, backlight it, and the whole architecture turns to beaded glass.