Golden Silk Orb Weaver

Wandering in southern Mississippi you might be surprised to see a golden web sparkling in the sun. This Rumplestilskin of Arachne is beautiful to behold, called Trichonephila clavipes (Linnaeus) or golden silk orb weaver to her friends, is a black and yellow beauty who moves around to catch the best rays maintaining her body temperature. She does this to avoid overheating as the sun moves across the sky in the deep south. It is important to remember these spiders do good work in gardens and are great porch spiders.

They are not aggressive and if you are lucky enough to have a good view of the web at sunset you will see the golden lace reflect the sun in a spectacular fashion. They only live about a year and if you get to see them molt it is a real treat!

Resources

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/golden_silk_spider.htm

https://arachnipedia.fandom.com/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver_(Nephila)