Neph grande dame of the garden

[The Snark]

(Sorry about the lousy contrast))
I've watched this gal for 4 months and 3 locations. (And used her presence to put off trimming and weeding) She is now a little over 2 inches, body, and a leg span of around 8 inches. We get a little hint of extreme dimorphism with her hubby, the red dot at the top left. The web is well over 3 feet across.

 

[Moltar]

Very awesome. I wish we had those gals around here.

 

[The Snark]

Unfortunately the big gals need a lot of room which precludes them living near humanity for the most part. From observation they only tolerate major web destruction and relocation/rebuilding 4 times, and many vanish after a single catastrophe.
In our surrounding environment, about 6 acres of recovering second growth rain forest surrounded by populated areas and cultivated fields, I have only observed 8 giant orb webs during a season. In south Thailand and Malaysia in the banana groves especially, the goldens can pack in to several hundred per acre, but it only take one moron bashing webs to decimate an area's population.