Does anyone recognize this species of spider (1", black & white)? ?

Question

I found it on my front porch tonight in an area that is shady all day. It's about 1" long, and has a back end that looks a bit like a pointy black & white fungus! The legs farthest back are quite a distance from the ones in the middle and front which made me wonder if it was even an arachnid. Of course, the web was a dead giveaway! Any help would be appreciated! Oh, I live in northeastern CT, by the way.

Answer 1

sairiniakilania is right on with her answer. I work in a Science Center and see these every month being brought in for identification. They are relatively harmless BTW.

Answer 2

It sounds like a species of orb-weaver, they're very common in the US and are completely harmless to humans.

If it had a long back end, it was probably a type of Argiope, they can grow to be pretty big too, I've seen ones here in central Florida with a leg-span of nearly a foot! If it was one of the ones that looks similar to a crab with a rounded back with spikes on it, it was a spinybacked orb-weaver.