I live in the Poconos and have been seeing similar spiders lately around our house. IâÂÂm curious what is said about this one because I too was wondering what they were. Maybe some darker colored variety of a Marbled Orbweaver (Araneus marmoreus)? Hard to tell with just a shot of the underside. Also I suppose its abdomen isn't round enough.

I found a close match with the Spotted Orb Weaver: http://bugguide.net/node/view/323228. Next time I will try to get a shot of the top of the spider! This one was just so big though....

And this is the one I just photographed the other night! I'm not a spider expert but they do look similar in many respects. Maybe male and female?

Only the females hang out in the center of the "orb" webs. The males are quite small.

Don't mean to hijack your thread but I have a similar looking spider in North Alabama and was about to start a new thread. It looks very similar. I can't get a better pic without falling off our back porch railing. But it is the other side of what appears to be a similar orb weaver. The web is 18-24 inches in diameter. She finished it overnight.

It's another orb weaver.

During the fall, they become very noticeable.

Many different kinds of orb weavers (a generic common name) in many different sizes. All considered beneficial in the garden & landscape.