help ID the giant spiders in my garden!

[Dawn]

Does anybody know what kind of spider this is?

pic is only slightly larger than real life, btw. Spider is a good

2" across.

He's camped in the middle of my brussels sprouts. Got a big web about a foot and a half across. Looks like he's been eating well. My garden is in Missouri, near Kansas City.

Dawn

[Frank Logullo]

Garden spider:

[Dawn]

Cool! Thanks!

Dawn

[Doug Kanter]

Nice one!

[Cheryl Isaak]

That is handsome fellow (more likely gal). I'm looking forward to an ID since I have them too!

Cheryl

[Mark Anderson]

Don't female spiders kill and eat the male right after they mate?

[Suzy O]

doubt this guy (or gal) is what's been eating your brussels sprount, though. Spiders typically eat other "bad" insects.

Suzy O

[Dawn]

Oh, no, she had herself a nice wide web with lots of caught bugs bundled up. I'm sure she wasn't eating the sprouts. There's lots of other stuff doing that. :)

Dawn

[Suzy O]

[enigma]

Mark Anderson wrote in news: [e-mail]:

not always. usually they do, but there are variations between spiders & some males are faster than others ;)

lee