Yesterday, I was happy to photograph a few Yellow Garden Spiders while taking a walk on a side road at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. You might wonder why.
Yellow Garden Spider with grasshopper prey – Canon R7, f8, 1/640, ISO 1250, -0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
My happiness came from the fact that I hadn’t seen this species of spider since I left Florida in 2009. They simply weren’t a species I encountered in Utah.
Seeing these spiders again truly made me happy.
Yellow Garden Spider side view with a grasshopper – Canon R7, f8, 1/1250, ISO 1250, -0.7 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
The intricate patterns and gorgeous colors of this spider species are simply beautiful. These spiders are large, but that doesn’t always make them easy to spot; they can blend into their habitat.
Finding one with prey was wonderful. Until now, the only animals I’d seen feasting on the numerous grasshoppers were some Coyote pups. Knowing that the spiders are helping to keep the grasshopper numbers down is actually a relief.
Yellow Garden Spider with prey back view – Canon R7, f8, 1/1250, ISO 1250, -1.0 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
I know that some people find spiders creepy, and while I don’t care for getting too close to spiders that might bite me, I love seeing them all. They are beneficial insects.
An interesting tidbit about these garden spiders is that they build a new web every day, and their webs can be at least two feet in diameter.
Yellow Garden Spider in cattails – Canon R7, f8, 1/800, ISO 1250, -0.3 EV, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light
Seeing and photographing these Yellow Garden Spiders reminded me of seeing them in Florida at Sawgrass Lake Park and other locations back East. They also brought back some nice memories of the people I shared these spiders with, such as my best friend Patty and my mother.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my insect and spider photos.
Spiders are truly amazing engineers and some of their webs are incredibly beautiful. About one billion years ago [maybe it was two], while I was in college, I did a paper on Scottish independence; I recall that Robert the Bruce drew his inspiration to continue the war against England from watching a spider weave it’s web. They are one of natures truly amazing creatures – although I’m not too crazy about the Black Widow or Brown Recluse variety.
Wonderful pics. Thanks Mia.
Beautiful spider.
I remember seeing another type of spider we photographed at Ft DeSoto. I can’t remember the name? Red or orange and black
Golden Silk Spiders! The females were large, the males tiny and their spider silk is gold colored!
Beautiful pictures! Fascinating spider species!