Mushroom or Spider?

Courtland, MN, on September 22, 2018. (Click for a higher res version… if you dare!)

At first we weren’t sure if this was a crazy looking spider or a weird mushroom with a spider under it. Turns out, it is definitely the former. We think it is a marbled orb weaver, though we’ve never seen one quite like this before. Apparently some people call them pumpkin spiders or even halloween spiders. Coloring can vary widely.