I am no bug-ologist, but I continue to see very large spiders in my garden. I enjoy looking carefully at all the wildlife in the yard, including insects, so I am certain this is something new. I hear rumors that we have been invaded by Joro spiders from south Asia or some exotic place. They are certainly beautiful creatures and frightening because of their surprising size. I have not experienced any aggression on their part. By now there will be millions of these things around for the next gardening season. Let us hope they catch mosquitos in their huge, gold-tinged webs. The one I photographed (above) seemed uninterested in me, even when I shoved my camera in its face.