Yellow Garden Orbweaver with a Grasshopper

August 29, 2012 by Mike Powell

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.

Yellow Garden Orbweaver Spider and Grasshopper (click on the photo to see more details)

Posted in Bugs, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Argiope aurantia, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, grasshopper, orbweaver, spider, Yellow Garden Orbweaver, Yellow Garden Orbweaver spider | 10 Comments

10 Responses

on August 30, 2012 at 1:08 am | Reply aquamarineparachute

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!
- on August 30, 2012 at 9:12 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I’m pretty sure on the identification but defer to others who are more expert on these issues.
on August 30, 2012 at 4:15 am | Reply krikitarts

Wow! She is just beautiful, and hers has long been one of my favorite species. Great shot, Mike.
- on August 30, 2012 at 9:11 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  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.)
on August 30, 2012 at 12:22 pm | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

I was just taking some pictures of one of these yesterday evening but she had a brand new web with no leftovers in it.
- on August 30, 2012 at 10:50 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I think I read that they rebuild part of the web each night.
on August 30, 2012 at 6:55 pm | Reply Carol Dunnigan

Absolutely disgusting – love it!
- on August 30, 2012 at 10:48 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Nature somehow draws us in–the disgusting is intriguing.
on January 8, 2019 at 10:59 am | Reply Most viewed posts of 2018 | Mike Powell

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on January 8, 2019 at 11:16 am | Reply Jet Eliot

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.