Spiders have 8 legs and 2 body parts, unlike insects that have 6 legs, 3 body parts, and antennae. Garden Spiders have colorful abdomens. Yellow and Black Garden Spiders have a bold yellow and black pattern on their abdomen, while Banded Garden Spiders have striped legs. The females (.75-1.1 in long) are up to 3 times larger than the males.
Garden Spiders are commonly found in gardens, fields, and farms where they build circular, spoked webs, often with a bold zigzag band of silk running through the center. They sit in the center of the web and wait for an insect to get trapped in the sticky silk. They then wrap the insect in silk and bite it to keep it still.
Did you know? The eggs are laid in the spring in a round, brown, papery sac. 500-1,000 baby spiders emerge in the spring although many will die through cannibalism or get eaten by mud-dauber wasps.
See Also: Crab Spider, Fishing Spider, Grass Spider, Harvestman, House Spider, Wolf Spider
