Few spiders are dangerously poisonous and all are beneficial in that they kill and eat pests.

Plus one of this type would not be a dangerous one.

Thanks, do you know what kind it is? I ask because I would rather not keep it around if it might be dangerous to the kids.

We have the same spiders in the Texas Hill Country. These particular ones are fascinating because they are huge (4 inches from foot to foot), so you can see everything they do. We had one that built a web that was 3 feet tall and across our seldom used door to the garage. Watching her build and repair the web was amazing. When we started to get out into the garden more we relocated our friend to some trees in an adjacent green belt. I'll miss her.

I can't tell you whether it is dangerous, but there are very few really dangerous spiders. If a 4-inch long spider was dangerous, everyone would know. The Black Widow and brown recluse spiders are not big at all.

I think it's a good opportunity to teach childen, look but don't touch (with unknown animals).

It IS an orb weaver/. Beneficial to have at your place.

Maybe it will eat whatever keeps munching on my swiss chard, lol!

Those guys are great...just watch where you're going!

Yes, she is an orb weaver, considered one of the most interesting creatures in the garden. Though the details of your pictures aren't very clear, I think she is Argiope trifasciata, the Banded Garden Spider. It is certainly one of the Argiopes, as the others have mentioned.

Tsk tsk tsk to your mother, lol. And good for you for asking questions before killing a beneficial spider. Knowledge is a very good thing!

rhizo-1 My mother is a gardener and lover of flowers/plants but will attempt to eradicate spiders and lizards without any guilt, lol.

Shame, they are some of the best friends a gardener can have (including beneficial insects too of course).

Lizards EAT all kinds of bugs.

http://lazygardens.blogspot.com/2015/06/natural-pest-control-for-gardeners-and.html

With the info above I was able to home in on the spider and common name: Yellow (or black and yellow) garden spider. Not a very creative common name. Here's the Google Image search for them. And here's a picture of the one we had in Bandera, TX ...

There is no such thing as a "poisonous spider", since you have to SWALLOW a poison, or inhale it, or absorb it through your skin and/or mucous membranes, in order for it to harm you. Spiders are VENOMOUS, with the exception of one family, the Uloboridae, or Cribbilated Orb Weavers, which are very small. This is one of the Argiope spiders, and they are not dangerous at all. It's difficult to even get one to bite. They are very beneficial in a garden because they devour pest insects like grasshoppers, which can decimate your plants.

Not that it matters all that much, but if you look closely at the images provided by the OP, you'll see two of the top of Argiope trifasciata, and two of the underside. The latter is brightly patterned, exactly as pictured. Also note the very chic, boldly striped legs.....another identifying feature.