Banded Garden spider

On the walk I lead at the Thomas Miner preserve this morning, my crowd of around 30, including several wonderfully inquisitive kids—no worry about "nature deficit disorder" in this bunch—spotted many, many wonders. The weather couldn't have been better, but the dragonflies, which had been advertised as an enticement, particularly for photographers, were flying too high and fast to be of much interest. Picture-taking, of course, is an exercise in patience and careful observation, so to exercise both skills, I encouraged the camera men and -women to scan the preserve very closely. Sure enough, they found the Banded Garden Spider I knew was hiding out in the meadow. Argiope trifasciata is a beautiful relative of the more common Black and Yellow Garden Spider and both are skilled masters of the orb-weaving trade. The Banded delighted the photographers, both because it was exceedingly attractive and because it was such an obliging subject.