The Black and Yellow Argiope Spider (Argiope aurantia) goes by many names. The Yellow Garden Spider, the Black and Yellow Garden Spider, the Golden Garden Spider and the Black and Yellow Zipper Spider.
They are common throughout North and Central America. In the fall, females produce large, characteristic circular webs with a distinctive zig-zag or zipper of silk in the center (look closely just below the spider pictured above). Males make smaller, less conspicuous webs.
The spiders "hide" in the center of their webs awaiting prey. At night, the spiders consume the inner portion of their webs and rebuild it each morning with fresh silk. It is uncertain if they are recycling components of the web or gleaning bits of nutritious material.
