Insect and Spider Identification: Unknown spider in my garden, 1 by willeverett1

willeverett1 wrote:
I live on the southern tip of Texas, on the Gulf Coast. Recently I\'ve discovered half a dozen of these big spiders building webs under the eaves of my house and sometimes between plants on the porch. I\'m leaving them alone but am afraid of what might happen if I happen to walk into one of these webs. I\'ve checked identification charts but can\'t find a match. Can anyone identify these critters? The adults are about 4\" long from tip to tip. Thanks!