Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: Beneficial Spider? , 1 by MechelleT

MechelleT wrote:
Does anyone know what kind of spider this is and if it is beneficial to the garden? I couldn't tell the design on it's back as it seems to be covered in offspring! I couldn't tell with the naked eye until I was able to view the picture and zoom in. It's about as big in diameter as a silver dollar and has a large back. Probably one of the largest I've ever seen. I covered it with a 4" container, ran inside to get my camera and when I uncovered it, it just sat still while I took 29 pictures. I recovered it and just want to make sure before I let it go. Fall is here with all of the spider pictures people are posting! If anyone could let me know, that would be wonderful.
Thanks!
Mechelle