What spider is that?

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Hi Friends,

being a little bit arachnophobic, i almost wet myself when i was picking up the last tomatoes and peppers and suddenly saw that huge spider right in front of my face:

Does anybody know what kind of spider that is? - And can it bite through human skin?

 

[West-Gin Farm]

I call them garden spiders. They are not poisonous. However they are large spiders and creepy!

 

[BGcoop]

That is awesome!!!

 

[Beachcomber]

I believe it's a non-venomous orb weaver spider. All spiders can bite humans, but it shouldn't bother you if you don't bother it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Ok it freaks me out too!

 

[Corbdee]

Ok I swear I thought that was just a prank made out of a Halloween deco

 

[Chickstarrs]

That is a lovely example of an Argiope spider. Possibly a Black and Yellow Argiope even though the yellow bands are slightly different from the ones I see here. There are several species found throughout US and Canada. This family of spiders is easy to identify by the zig-zag shape they weave into the web. They are not poisonous. The one in your picture is a fat female and will likely spin a egg sac soon. This is the best time of year to see them.

Here is a picture of another species of Argiope that I found in Hawaii this winter.

 

[Acre4Me]

I’d just call it a “garden spider” too. Generally they want bugs to land there for dinner. Yes, quite big, but not typically aggressive to us. If it was near to the human pathways, I would be inclined to take a stick and remove web and spider and transport to a more appropriate area away from where I would walk, but I wouldn’t kill it.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

That spider is awesome! Love the color/pattern. How cool!

 

[Aapomp831]

That is a Writing Soider, the same spider featured in charlottes web. They are not aggressive, and just want to be left alone. They “write” in the center of the web a zigzag pattern to confuse prey and trap them. Here’s a pic of one I took yesterday.