Unexpected predator at my door

Now I am quite aware that many people don't like spiders, and so I'm sure as soon as they see the photo will change the page or go elsewhere. I don't want to offend anyone but this huge spider so surprised me the other day that I had to take a photograph and write about it. After all they are part of nature and eat tons of mosquitoes and other pesky bugs.

So when I was trying to knock down a paper wasp egg crate (that's what they look like to me) from the upper corner of where the "porch" attaches to the church suddenly down flowed this huge spider. You can see how large it is beside the little ant in the lower right hand corner of this photograph and what look like orange ladybugs to me. I was startled but then fascinated.

I tried to encourage the creature to do something else but it did nothing when I prodded it delicately with a leaf stem, didn't attack, didn't move, not a let nor an antenna. So I let it be and got my camera instead.

According to my trusty research machine, the computer and internet - it's an orb-weaver spider. From Wikipedia:  The typical orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. Their common name is take from the round shape of this typical web.

Such an interesting creature to have literally drop by for a visit.