Thanks to Susan Garland for sending in this photo of a colourful spider found in her garden.
We asked arachnid enthusiast Max Taylor about it and here is his reply, “This is a species called Argiope aurantia, aka the golden orb weaver or black and yellow orb weaver; they do get quite big and beautiful! Their bite is not dangerous to humans, and they make huge webs between trees or plants and hang out in the center. When I was in Florida I saw some orb weavers bigger than my hand. They’re good for the garden; you’ll find them there and in the forest. You can keep them in captivity in a window box or even a big picture frame, they’ll make a web and never stray far from it. Nice find!”