Where to start. They aren’t dormant most of the time. They have a very short, two month or less dormancy. When they are awake, they throw up a HUGE, single, divided leaf. Larger specimens (with bulbs in the 80-175lb range) can have leaves taller than 15 feet. The leaf dies back and regrows every 12-26 months. The…

Its Nephila clavipes, one of the more lovely orb weavers. They’re big, but not the biggest!