female orb weaving spider

5796  Can you please tell me what kind of spider this is. Found on a cement pad in Thunder Bay, Sept 13/2016 Sunny weather, Helen

This is a female orb weaving spider in the genus Araneus that has deposited her eggs and is approaching the end of her natural life. Both A. marmoreus and A. trifolium can have a similar appearance under this condition; I am inclined to believe that this more likely is A. trifolium. See http://tinyurl.com/z49a7bg for another example. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.