She's a beauty, isn't she. That's a Leucauge venusta, commonly called the Venusta orchard spider, or just orchard spider.

Here is another photo of presumably the same spider. Kind of hard to believe. Some of his friends are now saying it's a southern widow. From what I can see, Leucauge venusta seems more likely.

It IS a Venusta Orchard spider, no question. The "widow" spiders have very little resemblance to them.

Beautiful spider.

His friends are clueless. There is no real resemblance to a southern widow at all.

i have the same in tn. mine is reddish brown