Oh man, I dont know, but it looks like it may be a Brown Recluse which are very very dangerous spiders.
But like I said, I dont know

Crap, I was afraid to even go figure out what kind of spider it was. I'm in southern AZ, so we have a lot of nasty critters -- I like to pretend they are not there.

Looking at pictures online, I can't tell for sure if it is a brown recluse...but if it is, I don't know how to get rid of it.

looks like a wolf spider.

i see zone 9 for you...if you're in california, there are no brown recluse spiders to worry about.

wolf spiders are ok.

Here is a link that might be useful: Info on wolf spider

Here is a cut paste from a spider site I found
Kinda sounds like your visitor

"The brown recluse spider is a venomous spider, Loxosceles reclusa, of the family Sicariidae (formerly of the family Loxoscelidae). It is usually between ¼ and ¾ inch (6-20mm) but may grow larger. It is brown and usually has markings on the dorsal side of its cephalothorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider, resulting in the nickname "fiddleback spider" or "violin spider".

Coloring varies from light tan to brown and the violin marking may not be visible. Since the "violin pattern" is not diagnostic, and other spiders may have similar marking (i.e. cellar spiders (Pholcidae family) and pirate spiders (Mimetidae family)), for purposes of identification it is far more important to examine the eyes."

We have a lot of Black Widows in our area. I was in my flip flops getting my raised bed ready and there was one under it when I lifted the box.
Freaked me out.

andreajp -- I'm in AZ, so I think we do get brown recluse here. I like the idea of the wolf spider better, and that one looks close too.

I was already freaked about finding a scorpion or rattlesnake around my plants, wasn't even considering spiders. Uggh the desert can be rough.

this will help you identify a brown recluse.

Here is a link that might be useful: how to identify a brown recluse

andreajp, thanks for that webpage. I'm starting to think it is a wolf spider, but I'm too chicken to go out there and see how many eyes it has. Might take a few hours for me to get the courage to do so!

I think it's a wolf spider, too. They don't spin webs but run very fast to catch their prey. They have a very nasty bite, so you don't need to be handling them! You must have some insect goodies on your plants that attract it.

Most all spiders are venomous to some degree and that's their tool when handling prey. None I know of lie in wait just to bite a human. Extenuating circumstances, like a spider in your shoe or clothing can entice a bite from one. Just be careful when indoors or out and us and them will get along fine.

Definitely a Wolf Spider, they are a bit aggressive but won't hurt you unless you handle them. Non-venomous but can bite ya good. They are good guys to have around. Look for a funnel designed web in the area....that's his home.

the web site wants you to LOOK AT HOW MANY EYES IT HAS??!!?!?!?!

i am very scared of anything venomous. we were camping in the fall near kansas city, mo and saw a small rattlesnake out sunning on one of the cement pads. i'd been tromping merrily through the woods in my flip flops before. THAT took care of my carefree wandering!

NO WAY i could make myself gaze into its beady little orbs to see how many eyes it has!

Spiders, snakes, and ticks, we all have 'em, just a matter of keeping our distance, identifying them if possible, and killing the more dangerous ones.
Lots of black widow spiders here, brown recluse, too, lots of snakes, definitely lots of ticks (no lyme disease though- that's good news), just a matter of live and let live up to a point...
I wait each year to see baby garden spiders (black and yellow w/ long legs)so I know they are on duty eating up the insects that bother my plants. So, katib, looking to identify spiders living in your yard is the best way to go. Good luck, hope that one is a wolf spider. Brandy

It's a wolf spider, not a brown recluse.

Notice how people express their deep fears of spiders and snakes? But think about it...who typically ends up on the side of dead when humans and spiders/snakes meet?

Just food for thought when thinking who is really the dangerous one.

i have garter snakes and misc. not-so-scary spiders in my yard, home and garden. i don't kill any of them intentionally.

what goes on naturally between the snakes, toads, and spiders is left to them.

my fear is of the varieties that are poisonous to humans and pets. i'd rather not get bit by one.

To me, the precise identity of your spider is of minimum concern. I fail to find anything lovable about any of the species and am, therfore, prejudicously inclined to nail the little b------- before they can multiply.

They spin webs between my plants overnight, the same all over my pontoon boat, sting me sometimes while weeding or picking,
and I do not pleasure in the feel of their webs upon my skin or hair!

Larry

Hi Katid,

Definitely one to not worry about and let him/her do his/her insect-devouring business. Ones you see during the day are for the most part good-guys. Go out around 10-11:00 pm and see what is out and about. You will see the bad-guys. I did this and captured about 10 Black widows. They hang upside down in the center of their web. You can get good look at the red hourglass. The males are less bright and are not totally black. One was on the side of my lanai swing; so during the day he must hide in the cushions somewhere. Not any more. Quite exciting. Oh yeah, watch out for the spider webs about head high that you don't see when you are looking down. Plenty of slug hunting to be had at night as well. Happy hunting. Aloha

That is a wolf spider, and don't worry about what everyone is saying. They will run from you, and try to hide or hold still and hope that you don't see them. Trust me, you have to try very, very hard to make one bite you, and I've never had it happen even though there are dozens out my backdoor. Brown recluses are called that for a reason. They hide in places that don't have movement, lots of shade, and little to no noise, which I don't know any gardens like that. Just the sun and wind are too much for them. If you're trimming bushes that are growing in shade right next to a house, then you might want to worry, but the one in you picture is a wolf spider. Leave him alone and he'll eat your ants and mosquitoes. ^_^

Definitely a wolf spider. Very food to have in you garden. I must have dozens if not hundreds in my mulch. I can only imagine the hundreds of favors they do for me on a daily basis. The only problem you will have with a wolf spider is, if you are frightened of spiders, he may get big enough to really scare you some day. I have seen them almost three inches across the spread legs and they are quite fast.

Steve

Thanks everyone for your help. I would like to keep the spider around, but I will be leaving town soon and have a friend who will be checking on the plants. I made the mistake of telling her about the spider and she is insisting that I get rid of it or she will not water my plants. She found a tarantula on my front step last summer, so I can't blame her :) I know tarantulas are good, but I don't want to see them.

Honestly, I get spooked every time I see that spider, but I now know it is helping me out. I will just be sure to get everything hooked up to the drip so she will not have to deal with it.

yep a wolf spider and he/she wont bite ya unless ya bother him. but when he does, it hurts like he**!!! trust me on that!! LOL i have many of them in my different winter sowing containers, they are keeping the bugs out of them, i just tip the containers over and let them go. the next day they are back in. LOL they do get pretty big. at least mine here do.

Here's some links regarding wolf spiders.

http://entoplp.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/wolfspider.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolf spiders

Only thing about spideys I don't like is "web-face".
Like I'm walking in a narrow avenue in my garden with a shed on one side and shrubs on the other side, and there is a web across the avenue at head height that I don't see and what hits the web first when I'm walking? My face.
Which is why when I walk the narrow places now, my hands are out in front of my face. Looks dorky, but....

OK so this isn't about tomatoes but it is my spider story.
Several years ago I was at a place called Spence's Bridge in the BC Interior. It was on the Thompson River and it was just opening for season. The Natives had just recently taken over management of the campground so they yet hadn't done everthing that needed doing.
So here's me, having to go to the outhouse. First of all, it is hotter than hades out there, around 105 degrees and desert. Sagebrush, little cactus on the ground everywhere and the whole nine yards. The outhouse is make of plywood. The lock is on the OUTSIDE. I open the door and the seat was just a bench thing with a hole in it. No toilet seat. It was also a bit high for me (being a shorty) and a bit far back from the edge. To do my business there I could not just perch, but had to climb up and fully engage myself to the position.
Sitting there trying to get it over with, and trying to hold the door shut I look up. Near the top is a very impressive web with a huge barn spider. OK that's cool, they're not poisonous although I hoped it didn't come down and investigate me. I look down to the right and in that corner was a web with a nice big black widow in it.
I finished my business really quick and went over to the camp caretakers who were lounging under the only shady tree for miles around and asked them to remove the black widow from the outhouse. They did it, with huge grins on their faces. I would have gladly spent the weekend watering a tree instead but there weren't any that provided proper cover for a gal. That place was wide open. Luckily it was so darn hot that we drank gallons and didn't need to pee anyway as we sweated it out. So I didn't need the outhouse till the day we had to leave. I remember someone catching a baby rattler that weekend too.
PS the fishing was lousy.