I found one in our backyard as a kid, and was horrified! Big, yellow and black, I caught it in a jar, showed my Mother, others, released it. I was taught to not kill spiders. But, the article I just came across is even more horrifying: "This Spider Just Ate a Bat, and Now I'll Never Go Outside Again" "The jaw-dropping images confirm what many have suspected for some time: nature is terrifying. The spider was later identified as Argiope aurantia, which translates from Latin to "gilded silver-face," and not "the stuff of actual nightmares" as you might have thought. It can be found across the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America, and have been known to spin their distinctive X-shaped webs in the plants in back yards. In other words, they are everywhere."
One of those made a home on the back porch last summer. I named her Carmen, because the markings (first picture) reminded me of a silhouette of Carmen Miranda.
I have seen many in my garden. If you get too close, they will start making their web move back and forth. I suppose that's their way of warning you to move back. I would get a long stick, catch them and move them over to the grass and weeds.
@Ken Anderson They were indeed very pretty, and the biggest spider to be seen around our area, both impressive attributes. Frank
I can imagine how a small bat could easily get caught in one of those webs. You can't get that stuff off of you and the threads are strong. I've seen lots of bird feathers stuck in them.