I found this large Orb Weaver spider, coincidentally, on the back of a Halloween decoration. I immediately ran to get my camera and macro lens to capture this beautiful, yet creepy creature. She sat still for me the whole time I was shooting... the perfect model.

The typical orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. Their common name is taken from the round shape of this typical web, and the taxon was formerly also referred to as the Orbiculariae.

Orb-weavers have eight similar eyes, hairy or spiny legs, and no stridulating organs. The Araneidae family is cosmopolitan, including many well-known large or brightly colored garden spiders. The 3,006 species in 168 genera worldwide make Araneidae the third-largest family of spiders known. The orb-weavers include over 10,000 species and make up about 25% of spider diversity.