Kerry - There's quite a bit of variation in the markings of some of these Araneus spiders, so it could be the same species, or one of the similar species. It's very possible that your spider could be Araneus gemmoides -- a common species in western Canada. You can see more photos of that species on this page at Spider WebWatch:
http://www.spiderwebwatch.org/spiders/Araneus_gemmoides Here's a link to the main Spider WebWatch page if you wanted to make a report of your spider and post your photo. The instructions for doing so are easy to follow and any data you contribute helps to provide information on species distribution, etc..
http://www.spiderwebwatch.org/
Kerry
05-Sep-2007 03:52
I found one with identical markings on the hump, but lighter coloured legs. I have photos. Alberta, Canada.
