Macros: Spiders

The below pictures were taken on a very windy day when it (the spider) was not so shy.

I believe this is an Western Spotted OrbWeaver spider {Neoscona oaxacensis}.

I have never seen this one hereabouts until now. At least, none that hangs around long enough to become big enough for me to take macro pictures. It is a very tiny spider. The body of this one is probably slightly bigger than 1/4 inch. The web seems large for such a tiny thing and its strands are practically invisible to the naked eye. The web also seems very messy compared to the writing spider (mentioned further down this post).

Writing Spider {Argiope aurantia}
(Other common names: yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, corn spider, and McKinley spider.)

Speaking of spiders, We had a plague of ordinary garden spiders around the house last year. However, we only had three this year and only one of them successfully mated and formed egg sacs (three in all). She lived practically under our patio roof and in harmony with a huge wasp nest that hung off a wire. The picture above is after she had laid her second egg sac. I figured it'd be her last. Nope. She wandered off and laid a third one several days later. She left her third egg sac after about three days and died several days later without spinning a new final web.

Banded Garden Spider {Argiope trifasciata}

I was missing the banded garden spiders this year. While out and about with Abby Gail, I discovered one on the other side of the garage. It pleased me to see the critter. I was kind of mean to the spider as I kept shaking her web in order to wake her up to get some decent pictures.