Let's play a game.

[Jammrock]

Perhaps an Australian Garden Orb Weaver?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_garden_orb_weaver_spider

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araneidae

Looks like it's in the same spider family as mine, meaning harmless to humans, just big and creepy looking. What an Australian Orb Weaver is doing in the Southern USA is another issue.

Jammrock

[Fat Tone]

Finally the proof arrived:

[Brian Ellis]

A spider has spun her web across the collector part of my rain gauge. It must be a funnel web spider

Seriously, spiders are a nuisance, as webs across the tipping bucket mechanism can even stop it working. Also, on one occasion, one of the big "tiger" spiders mentioned before took up residence in the rain gauge and it was heavy enough to tip the buckets, thus causing my computer to show rain on bright sunny days

[Fat Tone]

The young handsom chap in that photo is me , and to my left is Luke then Wifey.

Here's a closeup of the beast in question:

[Dr Mordrid]

Sure looks like a Chilean Rose.

[Dr Mordrid]

Perhaps an Australian Garden Orb Weaver?
>
Looks like it's in the same spider family as mine, meaning harmless to humans, just big and creepy looking. What an Australian Orb Weaver is doing in the Southern USA is another issue.

Jammrock

The US has several species of orb weavers, and this looks like one of 'em.

Example;



Here's the type of orb weaver, AKA American Garden Spider, that lives next to our front entrance (about life size on a 19");