A Spider The Size Of My Hand...And I have The Photo..

The garden spider outside my front door is getting bigger as there are so many tiny flies this year ~I counted 14 in its web one morning and two house flies ....which it took somewhere. Its webbing is tough as sewing cotton and I have to clear from across the front door (I leave it on the other side of the doorway) every day and, yes, I do apologize to her.

Big as my hand! Seriously, only about 1.5cms but I needed to focus the camera (HAH!!) and this shows an old trick you'll see in hunting and fishing photos to make the catch bigger. 

Spider to fore and my hand 15cms )6") behind it.

The fuzzy photo I left as you can see the 'face' on its body.

 This is why I need money because other than food a good camera comes in handy!

What the photo SHOULD show!

Araneus diadematus

Garden spiders vary in colour from pale yellowy-brown to very dark brown, but they all have a characteristic white cross-shaped group of spots on their abdomen. They are widespread and common throughout the UK, except in some areas of northern Scotland.

These spiders spin orb webs to catch their prey – flying insects. Orb webs are the most advanced spider webs, built by laying spirals of silk around radial threads. They sit in the centre of their web rushing out and wrapping any caught insect in sticky silk.

Read more at https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/a-z-of-a-wildlife-garden/atoz/g/gardenspider.aspx#MUpZbU1fbzbH1M5z.99

Nature: You NEVER Stop Learning

The cat food left by the cats was going down but no cats or birds.....?

I stand there and....hover~flies...two at a time coming and taking lumps of meat almost as large as their heads. two hours later still going at it.

The wasp/bee pattern is camouflage and having watched wasps kill flies in the same dish a few months back I know why!

Called "mock bees" and "mock wasps" they have NO stinger but morons still kill them.they are also sometimes called "flower flies", or "syrphid flies" and they make up the insect family Syrphidae. They are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods.

Best photo is not mine but gives a better view. Love watching these in sunny weather.

Never seen them grabbing cat food before

UPDATE
Same plate 30 minutes later....