What a beauty! We think this is a Golden Orb Weaver spider because of her size and location. The females (foreground) are giants and can grow up to 50 mm long, while the males (probably the spider you see in the background) are small, only about 6 mm. The male is probably defending his territory from other males.
These spiders are also known as giant wood spiders, banana spiders and writing spiders.
Thanks to Lucy Battle for submitting this photo.
