This spider has been hanging out by my lamp post for about 2 weeks now. It builds some amazing webs, and has the colors of a Steelers fan (appropriate for our area), it's body is about 1/2-3/4 wide, bright yellow and has black and yellow legs. I've never seen anything like it before and would love to know what it is and if it is dangerous to small children. Thank you!
It's in the family of spiders Araneidae, Orb Weavers. None are poisonous to people or anything like that, but I'd be afraid to pick it up anyway. It might bite, I don't know... But it looks to me like the Shamrock Orbweaver, Araneus trifolium. Some orbweavers are quite variable in appearance - I wouldn't be too surprised if it were a very light-colored individual of another species, like the Cross Spider A. diadematus, but maybe you'll get more points of view.
Also called Pumpkin Spider
http://bugguide.net/node/view/11644
http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/32487314
