The Argiope that resided in the yard since at least August 25 is gone.

She was in her web when I got home from work on Wednesday, but on Thursday morning she wasn’t in the web, which hadn’t been repaired from the previous day. I was hoping she was merely out of sight for the time being, though I thought then that I’d probably seen the last of her. I’m certain now that I have.

University of Michigan’s Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web has an informative page about the creature here: Argiope aurantia: black-and-yellow argiope. Apparently, the function of the stabilimentum isn’t well understood.