Posts Tagged: banded garden spider

Saga of a Spider's Kill

For more than two weeks now, we've been watching a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) trap and wrap its unfortunate prey (fortunate if...

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) straddling lavender stems. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) straddling lavender stems. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What prey is this? It appears to be a huge black bee, a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

What prey is this? It appears to be a huge black bee, a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the prey, which turned out to be a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the prey, which turned out to be a female Valley carpenter bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Greed or Need?

Talk about greed. Talk about gluttony. How much food does a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) need? For 30 minutes, we watched a well-fed...

Fish-eye view of a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) with prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Fish-eye view of a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) with prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An intruder, a smaller spider (top), heads toward the resident spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

An intruder, a smaller spider (top), heads toward the resident spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The intruder is toast--or a wrap. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The intruder is toast--or a wrap. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Freeloaders Never Miss a Meal

If your dog is well, a little chunky, you're probably accustomed to someone saying "Fido never misses a meal, does he?"  Well, those little...

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps a bee. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Freeloader flies, family Milichildae, gather around the abandoned prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Freeloader flies, family Milichildae, gather around the abandoned prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of freeloader flies on a bee wrapped by a banded garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of freeloader flies on a bee wrapped by a banded garden spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Spider and the Skipper

This is a a story about a spider and a skipper. Technically, a banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) and a fiery skipper butterfly (Hylephila...

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata)--as identified by UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro--waits for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata)--as identified by UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro--waits for prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps its meal, a male fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The banded garden spider (Argiope trifasciata) wraps its meal, a male fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

While the garden spider wraps its prey, two fiery skippers (Hylephila phyleus) prepare to mate on a Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

While the garden spider wraps its prey, two fiery skippers (Hylephila phyleus) prepare to mate on a Tithonia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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