Argiope, the not-so itsy-bitsy spider: Nature News

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Argiope, the not-so itsy-bitsy spider: Nature News
Susan Pike
Portsmouth Herald
Tue, August 19, 2025 at 5:04 AM EDT
3 min read



An Argiope spider in the act of catching its prey.
Argiope spiders (Argiope aurantia) are relatively common throughout the United States and are, perhaps, one of our best-known spiders. These are the large yellow and black spiders that weave webs out in the open and stay put for weeks on end.


My partner held a photography workshop at our house a couple of weeks ago. This involved 27 people stalking our native wildflower and vegetable gardens in search of prey for their cameras. One of the hits of the weekend involved a large, charismatic spider that repeatedly caught and consumed various insects while we watched.

This spider, an Argiope spider, has graced my garden all summer and should hang on, by just a thread, until the first hard frost. In New England, these spiders live less than a year, unable to survive the cold winters.

One of my favorite fun facts about Argiope spiders, also known as writing spiders, concerns some interesting folklore: “Legend has it that if you disturb or damage the web, then the spider will write your name when it reweaves the web. One myth is that if this happens, you will die soon. Another story is that if the spider hears you speak someone’s name or counts someone’s teeth, it will write that person’s name when weaving the web.” (Clemson Cooperative Extension www.hgic.clemson.edu/beneficial-yellow-garden-spiders).

If you have one of these spiders in your backyard or local park, which you probably do, go check out the web. Argiope spiders weave a "normal" prey-catching web, but, in the middle, weave a thicker, zigzag-patterned strip. I wonder whether the purpose of this strip, the stabilimenta, will be one of life’s great unsolved mysteries.

Researchers have been looking into these for decades now and still have hints as to the purpose. It is thought that this trait has evolved multiple times in different lineages, and they might have different purposes depending on the species. This is the structure that gives rise to the colloquial name "writing spider." Like Charlotte of "Charlotte’s Web," these spiders look like they are writing messages with their silk. Charlotte, however, is a barn spider, a type of spider that does not make stabilimenta.

These structures are called stabilimenta because early on it was believed they help stabilize the web. This has been largely discredited; you can sever the stabilimenta, and the web remains functional. What we do know is that spiders that have stabilimenta are typically diurnal (active during the day) and tend to leave them up for long periods of time (vs eating their webs every day).



Argiope spider from below. The silk-producing glands transfer silk to the spinnerets, seen on the underside of the abdomen. The spinnerets are covered with spigots, small fire hose-like tubes that release the silk during web-weaving.


They aren’t sticky, like the rest of the web… so, why are they there? Are they there to attract prey? To advertise the existence of the usually super-large web and serve to keep birds from flying into the web? Does the brightness of the zigzag (particularly in UV wavelengths, which we can’t see, but insects can) attract insect prey? Are they something the spider just does to keep its silk-producing glands active and ready to go? All of these theories are being explored, so if you are a spider enthusiast, stay tuned!

These big spiders are all females. The males are smaller and less colorful than the females and tend to hang out or spin smaller webs at the periphery of the females’ web, looking for a chance to mate. If you look carefully, you can sometimes find one. They look nothing like the large females but rather are gangly with proportionately long legs to a small body. I assume I’ve found one when I find a small spider so close to the female- who else would dare to enter her kingdom?

Argiope spiders should be welcome guests in any garden. They kill insect pests. They are not particularly venomous (they are venomous, but a bite from one of these is not a big deal to something as large as a human). They have a great name that just rolls off the tongue — Argiope — from the Greek name meaning "gilded silver face." This is a spider that even an arachnophobe might like.



An Argiope with a prey bundle. Once the prey is secured, the spider will inject venom into the prey, killing it and liquifying its internal organs for consumption. The remaining hard parts of the prey are discarded. Spiders embrace the idea of a smoothie diet.


Susan Pike, a researcher and an environmental sciences and biology teacher at Dover High School, welcomes your ideas for future column topics. Send your photos and observations to spike3116@gmail.com. Read more of her Nature News columns online at Seacoastonline.com and pikes-hikes.com, and follow her on Instagram @pikeshikes.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Argiope, the not-so itsy-bitsy spider: Nature News