A few days ago I posted a photo of a Yellow Garden Orbweaver (Argiope aurantia) that I photographed at Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, VA. I was strangely attracted to those spiders and returned the next day to see if I could get a few more shots.
Here is one of my favorite shots from that day. The spider looks to be gnawing on the leg of a grasshopper that has been wrapped up and seems to be a little dried out. The grasshopper actually looks like he has been battered and deep-fried, but that seems to be a bit over the top, even for a Southern spider. You can also see a little of the zigzag pattern of the web at the bottom of the photo that is typical of the webs of this kind of orbweaver.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
This is awesome! I saw one of these the other day in TN…I knew it was some kind of garden spider but glad to know exactly what it was. Nice shot!
Thanks. I’m pretty sure on the identification but defer to others who are more expert on these issues.
Wow! She is just beautiful, and hers has long been one of my favorite species. Great shot, Mike.
Thanks. I’m newly introduced to the species, but the size, color, and accessibility of the spider may make it one of my favorites too. (The marsh where I shot the photo is only about four miles from my house and is a county-run park.)
I was just taking some pictures of one of these yesterday evening but she had a brand new web with no leftovers in it.
I think I read that they rebuild part of the web each night.
Absolutely disgusting – love it!
Nature somehow draws us in–the disgusting is intriguing.
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Incredible photo! You capture the orbweaver’s day and life here; and I really like knowing about the zigzag pattern that is typical. I know many people who eat cold leftover pizza, so I guess this spider feels the same way about grasshoppers. Thanks for taking us so deeply into this world, Michael.