Space Invader

On a walk through the prairie, I spotted this, rather obviously named, black and yellow garden spider. Despite the warning signs of its colour scheme, it is not a danger, to humans at least.

I would say the body was about 1" long, which accords with the description of a female, the males being tiny in comparison. I had not seen one before, so it was interesting to me.

The white zig-zag structure behind the spider is part of the web and called the stablementum.